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After three long offseasons of persisting trade rumors, the question has to be asked: Why would Upton veto a trade that would send him out of town? (AP File Photo)
Thursday, it was reported that two-time All-Star Justin Upton vetoed a trade that would have sent him from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Seattle Mariners.

After three long offseasons of persisting trade rumors, the question has to be asked: Why would Upton veto a trade that would have finally sent him out of town?

1. Rain

On average, Seattle has more than 150 days of precipitation per year. The Emerald city also averages 35.9 inches of rain per year. Phoenix by comparison has less than a month of precipitation days per year and 7.8 inches of rain.

2. Safeco Field

Without question, Safeco Field is a beautiful place to take in a ball game. With that said, the 54,000-seat stadium is by no means a hitter's park. According to ESPN.com, since the stadium opened in 2000, the Mariners have scored the fewest runs and have the worst batting average of any American League team during that span.

In 2012, Safeco Field averaged just 1.43 home runs per game. By comparison, Chase Field had 2.15 fly out of the yard per game (58 more over the course of the season).

3. Home/road splits

During his five-year MLB career, Upton has taken full advantage of Chase Field's hitter-friendly dimensions.

Over the past three seasons, Upton has batted .253 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI away from Chase field. However at home, the former No. 1 overall pick is considerably better, batting .311 with 39 home runs and 131 RBI. His OPS is also .189 higher in games played in the Valley.

And there's this reason, provided by Arizona Sports 620's Paul Calvisi on Friday:

Either way, Upton remains a D-back for now. Whether that's still true heading into spring training, well, that remains to be seen.

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    andytheg wrote...
    New things at Safeco
    For this upcoming season, the M's have moved their fences in and are building a Cowboys Stadium-esque jumbo HD screen. And he's there in the Summer, when it doesn't rain as much and with the retractable roof there won't be any rain delays or cancellations. Upton vetoed the trade because there's a stigma around Seattle's baseball team. People tend to see them like they see the Royals, just farther away from everyone else. He and Felix Hernandez could have been credited for rekindling baseball success in Seattle. And Upton says no. Such a shame.
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    Rainex80 wrote...
    OR
    Maybe all the rumors have been just that...rumors....OR he doesnt want to go to a team thats been if not last, then 3rd in their division the past how many years? Havent been to the playoffs in how long? Why would he voluntarily leave a club that has talent (whether it will be put together for success) for consistant losing seasons. Or, and not a single person has yet to say this....He might just have loyalty and wants to stay in Arizona. BTW your rain point is just silly.....for obvious reasons.
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