A lot of Justin Upton rumors over the last 24 hours from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
**Yesterday, Piecoro said that the Pittsburgh Pirates were interested in Upton, but that they don’t match up well with the Diamondbacks.
**Piecoro also said in that article that the Diamondbacks still valued Upton as a star, and wouldn’t move him for 75 cents on the dollar.
**Today, Piecoro looks at the reasoning behind trading Upton, noting that the motives are still unclear. He also says that the Diamondbacks would be more likely to deal for major leaguers.
That last part adds to the mystery surrounding the Upton talks. People view Upton as a piece that can help now, and in the future. He’s played like a star in the past, although he’s currently in a down year. If Arizona is focused on winning now, then why would they deal a player of his perceived value? It would make sense if they’re looking to load up on high upside prospects. But if they’re looking for major league players, that wouldn’t make much sense. They’d be better off sticking with Upton, unless there’s a reason to move on from Upton.
This also explains why the Pirates don’t match up well with Arizona. The most valuable pieces the Pirates have for a trade would be Pedro Alvarez or James McDonald. Trading either player would end up being a wash. Whatever value Upton would bring to the table, they’d lose by creating a hole on the 25-man roster. Brad Lincoln might have some value, and we’ve heard Arizona is interested in him, but you’re still going to need other players to swing a deal, and the Pirates don’t really have enough value in the majors to get a guy like Upton, without losing an equal amount of value from their current team.
