Before signing Justin Upton, the Tigers were also in on free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, as Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. Detroit was open to a reunion with the slugger, but they liked Upton “slightly more.” The Tigers offered Cespedes a four-year deal, but had the Upton agreement not come together, they could have potentially gone to five years, Heyman says.

Why did they prefer Upton to Cespedes? Well, in part (link), the Tigers loved Upton’s consistent demeanor and his personality. Upton also came with the endorsement of Alan Trammell and Kirk Gibson. When all was said and done, Upton agreed to a six-year, $132.75MM deal with Detroit and Cespedes stayed with the Mets on a three-year deal that will allow him to opt out after year one.

Here’s more from the AL Central: