Heyman: Upton popular trade target for price
The Braves continue shopping slugger Justin Upton. (USATSI)
Justin Upton is one of only a few big bats left on the market, and there’s a case to be made he’s the best bat on the market.
Of course, Matt Kemp and Melky Cabrera, who also had excellent years, have their fans.
But Upton — who has drawn interest from the Mariners, Orioles, Rangers, Giants and Padres — has a pretty good case, too.
He has one year left at $14.5 million, and while some may understandably look at it as a rental, he’s well-priced and will bring a draft choice next winter assuming the acquiring team can’t quickly lock him up.
Interest in all three of these talented outfielders is picking up with many big bats off the board already, and understandably so.
Kemp is certainly a star, but some may want to have the $107 million left on his deal paid down, and Cabrera is believed to seek a five-year deal in the $75 million to $80 million range, though he hasn’t specifically said that. Upton could be viewed as a bargain, albeit a short-term one.
Upton is a former No. 1 overall pick, and he’s only 27, so presumably he’s on the upswing. And even if he only repeats his 2014 performance, well, that’s pretty good. He had 29 home runs and 102 RBI (pretty amazing considering how awful the Braves‘ lineup was in ’14) to go with a .270 batting average.
The Royals and Tigers are among other teams that may fit. But some teams seem so obvious. While the Mariners are talking to Cabrera and talking about Kemp as well, they liked Upton enough that they were willing to offer top pitching prospect Taijuan Walker two winters ago (that apparently isn’t happening this time, considering they preferred him with three reasonable years left over one).
The Orioles are in need of an outfielder after their rough week last week when Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis both departed, with Markakis going to Upton’s Braves team. Baltimore has a good reason to expect better health from Manny Machado and Matt Wieters, but it remains in the outfield market. One bonus: Upton is from nearby Virginia.
The Padres, after missing out on Pablo Sandoval and Yasmany Tomas, badly want lineup help. And the Rangers also are looking for an outfielder.
Upton would bring a lot of plusses to any team, and it’s no surprise the Braves seek a prime young talent back, preferably a pitcher. They received Shelby Miller in the deal for Jason Heyward. and they’ll want to do better than that. They should.
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