While star players such as J.D. Martinez, Jake Arrieta and Eric Hosmer remain unsigned, Justin Upton reported to spring training Saturday with the security of the five-year, $106-million extension he signed in early November, well ahead of baseball's free-agent freeze out.
"It hasn't been the most enjoyable process for those guys," said Upton, a 30-year-old left fielder acquired from Detroit last August. "The fact that I avoided it, looking back in hindsight, I'm happy I did. I kind of got a little taste of it two years ago when I was a free agent. I understood the way the trend was going.