The Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Ken Rosenthal, senior writer for Fox Sports, are interested in trading outfielder Justin Upton.
Rumors swirled during the trade deadline of the Pirates' interests in trading for Upton, but nothing went down.
Now, Atlanta Braves' beat writer Mark Bowman envisioned an outfield patrolled by Justin Upton along with Jason Heyward.
The Braves have plenty of pitching in their minor league system to offer the Diamondbacks, but General Manager Frank Wren has been hesistant about trading their young pitchers.
What would the Braves get if they make a move for Upton?
A young outfielder that has proven he can hit at the major league level despite being a bit inconsistent. He will be owed jsut under $40 million over the next three seasons.
He is coming off another disappointing season. Upton hit 31 homers and drove in 88 runs with a batting average of .289 in 2011. This past year though, Upton only hit 17 homers with 67 RBI and a .280 average.
The batting average wasn't bad, but the production was not what the Diamondbacks expect. Upton was suffering from a bad thumb, but he managed to stay in the lineup.
He improved his defense only committing five errors after a 13-error 2011 campaign.
The Braves could use a Upton out in left field and he could bring balance to a lefty heavy lineup and become the team's third or fourth hitter.
In order for this trade to go down, however, the D'backs might have to swallow some cash remaining in Upton's deal as the Braves are notorious for not being fond of big money contracts.
