Towers addresses trade possibility with Upton

Rumors have escalated over the last few weeks that
the Arizona Diamondbacks have Justin Upton on the trading
block and are listening to offers.

According to
Arizonadiamondbacks.com, General Manager Kevin
Towers took the time Friday to approach the issue with
Upton, and let him know that a move isn’t close to being
made.

“I said, ‘Hey, this is no different than the way I
approached it even before you got to know me in 2010. I
listen on everybody,'” Towers said. “We’re in the
information gathering business. I said, ‘If something gets
close, you’ll be a part of the process. I’m not going to
shock you with something. If something is coming down and
I think it’s close, there will be a heads up.’ I said, ‘At
this point in time, a lot of people are kicking tires.
Your name is out there a lot, most of it is untrue.'”

The rumors escalated last week when Towers told Arizona
Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf that they
weren’t afraid to trade Upton.

Towers, however, stressed to Upton that right now he plays
for the Diamondbacks; a team that is in the middle of a
playoff hunt which relies significantly on his ability to
rebound from a rough first half of the season.

“[I told him], ‘I don’t want that to be a distraction for
you,'” Towers said. “‘You’re a big part of this club and
we need you right now. If anything, you should look at it
in a good way — that people like you, not just the
Diamondbacks, but you’re perceived very well throughout
baseball.'”

Towers has always been one to be willing to shop around
towards the trade deadline, and has made clear that this year is no different.

With that said, putting Upton’s name out to see who bites
is a meticulous move but Towers’ objective is to improve
the team, not to trade Upton for the sake of the trade.

Follow @AZSports