Justin Upton is rumored to be going to Atlanta Braves in a trade, giving brothers like the Harbaugh's in the Super Bowl and the Upton's in the outfield a cultural sports moment.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton has been on the trading block for a while and now it appears that he is finally off it.
According to ESPN.com, Upton has been acquired in a trade by the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Randall Delgado, infielder Martin Prado and minor leaguers Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury and Zeke Spruill, sources tell ESPN. Along with Upton, the Arizona Diamondbacks will also send third baseman Chris Johnson. The deal is pending physicals by players involved.
The deal brings together two siblings, as Justin's brother B.J. was signed by the Braves to a contract in the offseason. The 25-year-old Upton is considered to be one of the best young players in the game, but he became expendable after the Diamondbacks signed Jason Kubel and other outfielders.
Upton had a fantastic season in 2011, but last year he was a disappointment after hitting for a .280 batting average with 17 home runs and 67 RBIs. The previous year, he finished 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 with his glove and has shown speed on the bases, averaging 19.8 stolen bases over the past four years.
Making matter even more awkward for Upton, during the season Arizona owner Ken Kendrick criticized Upton and other players in a radio interview after a slow start. The team tried to trade Upton during the season, but could not find a good enough deal before the trade deadline.
Upton will join his brother and Jason Heyward in the Braves' outfield, giving the team three young stars who are still in their primes. Heyward won his first Gold Glove in 2012, when he hit .269 with 27 homers and 82 RBIs.
The Diamondbacks were asking a high-price for Upton and had other interested parties, including the Mariners and the Orioles. The team had a deal in place with the Mariners earlier this month, but Seattle is one of the four teams that Upton has on his no-trade clause list.
The team had interest from the Orioles, but asked fort too much, as they wanted either third baseman Manny Machado, right-handed pitcher Dylan Bundy or right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman to start any deal for Upton. There were also rumors that Upton could be traded to Chicago, but the Diamondbacks reportedly wanted shortstop Starlin Castro, who the Cubs consider their foundational player.
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 team signed his brother BJ to a five-year, $75 million contract during the offseason after he hit 246 with 78 RBIs, 141 hits, 29 doubles, 28 home runs and 31 stolen bases, along with a .298 on-base percentage with the Rays. Upton had a career-high 28 home runs in 2012, but his best overall season came in 2007 when he hit .300 with 24 home runs and 82 RBIs. He also stole 22 bases and had 145 hits.
The deal for Upton has been hailed as a winner so far in baseball circles, with Yahoo writer Jeff Passan saying: the Braves struck a deal for Justin that one general manager called "a coup." The Braves have a young crop of players and a talented lineup with Andrelton Simmons, Heyward, Justin Upton, Brian McCann, B.J. Upton, Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla and Upton will just bring more talent to the table.
Baseball has a long history of family relations, with Aaron and Bret Boone playing at the same time as brothers, as well as players like Joe and Dom DiMaggio. There is also of course the father-son bond with Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Jr, who played in the same outfield for a time in Seattle.
Brothers are truly getting their moment on the big stage these days, as Jim and John Harbaugh are set to face off in the Super Bowl next week in New Orleans. Jim is the coach of the 49ers, while John is the leader of the Ravens. It is the first time in postseason and Super Bowl history that two coaches who are brothers are facing off against each other.
The two brothers have already played each other once last Thanksgiving, with John's Ravens coming out on top winning 16-6. The two were featured in a special on Real Sports on Wednesday, which showed a report from when Jim first became a coach. Andrea Kramer asked a range of questions about the two brothers, who were shown to be best friends, but also competitors on the field.
The idea that two brothers are playing in the Super Bowl makes their father Jack Harbaugh the proudest man in football. The trade of the Upton brothers also shows how family relations can be involved in sports and that there is something special about two people so closely connected making it to the biggest stages in the world.
The Super Bowl has already spawned a number of nicknames, including the "Harbowl" or "Superbaugh". The idea of two brothers coaching against each other will be the dominating storyline in the game, but there is are many different angles for the Super Bowl this season, including Ray Lewis' pending retirement as well as a last shot for wide receiver Randy Moss to take home a championship.
"Well, I think it's a blessing and a curse," Jim Harbaugh said Monday. "A blessing because that is my brother's team. And, also, personally I played for the Ravens. Great respect for their organization. ... The curse part would be the talk of two brothers playing in the Super Bowl and what that takes away from the players that are in the game. Every moment that you're talking about myself or John, that's less time that the players are going to be talked about."
Earlier this season, the Upton brothers were connected again after they amazingly both hit their 100th career home run on the same day. According to ESPN.com, the two brothers hit their home runs an hour apart from each other, with BJ's shot coming first.
"It was cool. I'm happy for him," Justin Upton said after Arizona's 4-2 win. "It's a big night for the family."
Now the two players will get the chance to hit home runs in the same game as well as battle each other for those tough fly balls in the outfield.
