D-backs president says it would be tough to trade Upton
Originally published: Jul 19, 2012 - 1:54 pm
"We would have to just be completely shocked and blown over for us to to make a deal," he told Arizona Sports 620's Doug and Wolf Thursday.
Upton's struggles this season have been no secret, as the right fielder has gone from MVP candidate to likely trade candidate in the span of less than a year.
However, as Hall noted, a down season is no reason to simply give up on a 24-year-old with as much talent as Upton possesses.
"He is a very, very good player and he has really been, more or less, the face in that clubhouse the last few years," Hall said. "It would be difficult to move him right now."
That's not the impression some are getting, as seemingly daily reports that are released indicate the D-backs are actively looking to make a deal involving the two-time All-Star.
After all, with the team struggling to keep pace in the NL West and in the Wild Card race, it's not hard to imagine GM Kevin Towers wanting to shake things up, and Upton is easily Arizona's most valuable trade piece.
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"Any time somebody calls and they want to have discussions on any of our players, including Justin, Kevin is going to be all ears," Hall said. "And just because of that, people assume he's on the trade block and that he's gone."
Hall said this is not new to Upton, who has been "on the block" for the last couple years, but the idea that the D-backs are looking to move the player because he has an attitude problem or has questionable effort is false. To the contrary, Hall said he thinks most teams know Upton is not a problem and is "a very hard worker."
"He's a very important part of our team, very important part of the lineup," Hall said. "It's not somebody you're looking to move.
"It's not 'oh boy, he's a problem we've got to move him;' that's not it at all."
So, as Hall added, there's a good chance the trade deadline will come and go without a deal being made.
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