Report: Justin Upton blocks trade to Seattle Mariners
Jan 11, 2013, 12:31 AM | Updated: 1:09 am
So maybe the Arizona Diamondbacks are shopping Justin Upton after all?
According to a report by FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi, the D-backs (for now) right fielder blocked a trade that would have sent him to the Seattle Mariners.
Seattle is on the list of teams Upton can veto a trade to.
The D-Backs would have received a package of young talent from the Mariners, sources say, but the identity of the other players in the trade is not known.
Upton’s rejection of the Mariners could be an attempt by him to leverage the Diamondbacks into sending him to a more preferred destination. The D-Backs, meanwhile, could be telling Upton that Seattle is his only option if he wants to leave Arizona, and for that reason it’s always possible that a deal could revive.
Though Upton has been on the trade block for the better part of the last three years, this would seem to be the first time a deal was struck that would have sent him out of Arizona.
The 25-year-old Upton is coming off a season in which he hit .280 with 17 home runs and 67 RBI. It was a down year for both the player and his team. He is owed $38.5 million over the next three years, which is a reasonable rate given the production he can give a team.
However, many wonder why the Diamondbacks seem to be so set on trading the former number one pick. An MVP candidate just two seasons ago, it’s possible Upton’s best years are still ahead of him. Moving him now, before he even reaches his prime, could come back to haunt the Diamondbacks for years to come, regardless of what they get in return.
