B.J. Upton loses arbitration, will make 3 million in '10

Rays outfielder B.J. Upton and the Rays went to arbitration today despite being just 300,000 dollars apart in negotiations, an ominous sign of what is to come as contract extension talks heat up. 

Upton hit only .241 with 11 homeruns, two years removed from a .300 batting average followed by a .273 line, so one can see the regression.

Upton did steal 42 bases, and has tremendous upside for a 25-year old. If he gets off to any sort of strong start, the Rays could entertain offers for him. You can count on the Yankees being a player if he becomes available. 

Not so fast... DRaysBay.com tells me that Upton won't be a free agent until after the 2012 season, so there is still time to negotiate some sort of extension. That could mean that Carl Crawford is out, though, because he is a free agent following the 2010 season.