The Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates are coming into the trade deadline with Justin Upton, Carlos Gomez and Ben Zobrist as potential targets to help upgrade the outfield and this comes as teams like the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, NY Yankees and Kansas City Royals also could be interested.
The Orioles are in contention in the AL East and according to Jon Morosi at Fox Sports, Baltimore is interested in Justin Upton at the trading deadline. The team is also looking at Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez, according to Ken Rosenthal at FOX. The Padres are expected to sell at the deadline after making a number of moves in the offseason, while the Brewers have been one of the worst teams in the league.
The Pirates are also reportedly in the mix for outfield help and they may look at Upton as an option. According to Morosi, the Pirates are "interested" in Upton, but they may wait and see about news on the injury to Jordy Mercer, as they could go after an infielder if he is out for a significant period of time. The Pirates have been one of the best NL teams, but they just got swept and now could be without Mercer for a while.
The Padres have a number of assets they can move, including Craig Kimbrel, Upton and James Shields. Hardball Talk reports that the outfield is one of the main needs for the Orioles moving forward, as they have not been getting much production from the corner spots. Adam Jones is the stalwart in center and adding an outfielder at the deadline would add some production to right or left field. The website reports that the Orioles are the third worst team in the American League based on OPS in left field.
Upton would be a rental player, as he is heading towards free agency and will be on the market this winter. Upton would be an expensive player, as he is owed over $14 million for the rest of the season. Upton was an All-Star and he is hitting over .260 with 15 home runs this season. Gomez is 29 and he is signed into next season and is owed $8 million for this season and $9 million for next season.
The Yankees may not end up making a big deal, according to ESPN New York, as Brian Cashman said that the team is content if a major deal does not happen. The team could be in the mix for Zobrist, as he can be an upgrade at second base for Stephen Drew. The Yankees also could be in the running for one of the top pitchers if they are willing to give up some prospects. The team reportedly has scouted Johnny Cueto and Joel Sherman at the NY Post writes that Mike Leake also could be a target.
Upton is not an option for the Yankees, but both the Orioles and the Pirates would like some outfield help. Upton is almost certain to get traded, as he is heading into free agency and likely will not be signed by the Padres after the season they have had. Upton is dealing with a minor injury, but that should not stop him from getting attention on the trade market.
Check here for more on the Baltimore Orioles, Pirates and Yankees trade targets.