Justin Upton has been the name mentioned most in trade rumors this offseason, but the superstar outfielder still remains with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
According to ESPN.com, Arizona and the Chicago Cubs have recently discussed the idea of a trade for Upton, says sources who spoke to the website. The deal for Upton would have included two-time All-Star Starlin Castro, according to the sources.
Talks broke down between the two teams because the Cubs see Castro as the centerpiece of a franchise with a weakened minor league system. The Cubs have been working to bring in younger players to develop, rather than trade them in the past year since Theo Epstein took over.
Upton recently was part of deal that would have sent him and other players to the Seattle Mariners, but he opted to veto the trade with his no-trade clause. According to Fox Sports, the Mariners were willing to give up a "substantial package'' that likely included top prospects to get Upton.
"We have interest in improving our club any way we can,'' general manager Jack Zduriencik said in an email to ESPN.com at the time. "We have had a lot of dialogue regarding offense, but we would be open to anything.''
Upton has been mentioned in trade rumors over the past two seasons and Arizona general manager Kevin Towers has been exploring deals for the outfielder over this current offseason. Upton's no-trade clause included four teams, one of which was Seattle. The four teams on Upton's no-trade clause list are the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.
Upton was coming off of a career season in 2011, finishing fourth in the National League MVP balloting after hitting .289 with 31 home runs and 88 RBIs. He has proven to be an excellent outfielder and has shown speed on the bases, averaging 19.8 stolen bases over the past four years.
Although deals with the Cubs and the Mariners fell through, there are still a chance the Diamondbacks will trade the young star. Towers has interested trade partners in Texas, Baltimore, Atlanta and San Diego, with other possibilities likely as well, but they will not give up the outfielder without getting something in return.
"We are not interested in giving away any of our young talented players," Towers said last Saturday at the Professional Scouts Foundation dinner in Los Angeles. "My job is to get the best players in order to win championships here in Arizona. That said, someone will have to give us equal value if we move one of our top players."
Upton is about to enter the fourth year of a six-year, $51.25-million deal that runs through 2015 and will make $9.75 million next season. The outfielder is a career .278 hitter with 108 home runs and has three years remaining on a contract worth $38 million.
"Other teams have been informing the media that they are inquiring," team president and CEO Derrick Hall said in a recent MLB.com chat with fans. "We are always going to listen and have conversations about our players if we think we can improve as a team now and in the future. All of the media speculation is unfortunate, but not unusual."
The package that the Mariners offered to the Diamondbacks was not made public, but Arizona reportedly asked a high price from the Baltimore Orioles, who were also interested in Upton. According to the Sun, Arizona asked for either third baseman Manny Machado, right-handed pitcher Dylan Bundy or right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman to start any deal for Upton.
Castro is a high price to ask the Cubs for Upton, but he is the only player the Diamondbacks would take in return for him. The shortstop is one of the most dynamic young players in baseballs and signed a seven-year extension back in August worth up to $60 million. He has made two All-Star teams and was one of the most consistent players for the Cubs, hitting .283 with 14 home runs and 78 RBIs in 2012.
The trade for Castro would have been a curious one for the Diamondbacks, as they already have two shortstops after acquiring Cliff Pennington from the A's for next season and Didi Gregorius from the Reds for the future.
Buster Olney at ESPN has reported that if the Diamondbacks trade Upton to the Rangers, they likely would ask for Mike Olt, who is one of the top prospects in baseball. Matthew Leach at MLB.com says that the Diamondbacks would be wise to keep Upton, who is young, with a multi-year affordable contract.
"Upton has hit for average and power. He's shown speed and the ability to get on base. He's played quality defense and has an impressive throwing arm. He's under contract for the next three years for a total of $38.5 million. Even coming off a down year, Upton is one of the most valuable commodities in the game," Leach wrote.
Towers likely felt comfortable trading Upton originally in the Seattle deal since signing free agent Cody Ross to a three-year, $26 million contract. The team also has a glut of outfielders with Jason Kubel, Gerardo Parra and prospects Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock.
There also were some reports that the Braves were interested in Upton, even though the team already signed his brother B.J. to a free agent contract worth $75 million over five-years. The 28-year-old outfielder has played his entire career for the Tampa Bay Rays after being taken No. 2-overall in the 2002 MLB Draft. Last season he hit .246 with 78 RBIs, 141 hits, 29 doubles, 28 home runs and 31 stolen bases, along with a .298 on-base percentage.