11:27am: Interest in Upton is said to be "huge'' and the Diamondbacks are only interested in making a "perfect" deal, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Sources say that the outfielder's limited no-trade list is not the same as it was a couple years ago when it consisted of the Tigers, Indians, A's, and Royals. Detroit, Heyman notes, is a team that would have interest in Upton.
10:54am: The Pirates have had preliminary trade discussions involving the Padres' Carlos Quentin and the Diamondbacks' Justin Upton, major league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.com. Talent evaluators from both teams have scouted PIttsburgh's farm system in recent days and the teams are preparing lists of prospects they would target in a potential deal.
It is unlikely the Pirates would acquire both outfielders, but they have a strong desire to land one of the two. Quentin, 29, would require a lesser package as he is eligible for free agency after this season. Upton, 24, would cost more in terms of prospects as he is under contract through 2015.
When it comes to trades, the Pirates are said to be more attached to Gerrit Cole than Jameson Taillon, in part because Cole is closer to the big leagues. The D'Backs are looking to compete again in 2013 and would likely target players who are closer to the majors in a deal for Upton. The Padres, meanwhile, are willing to take younger players, as long as they have considerable upside.
Could you imagine Upton, Marte and McCutchen in the same outfield? That would be one of, if not, the best outfields in the league. I would easily give up Taillon+ for Upton
marte would be gone. but in a few years you could theoretically have mccutchen, upton, and bell
I would imagine any deal for Upton would have to include Marte. D-backs are loaded with pitching prospects and will be looking for position players in a package for Upton and players that can be on the major league club by the start of the next season. Marte is the only guy that fits that bill for the Pirates.
Yeah, I think Marte would be gone, and I’d probably be ok with that. As long as they don’t trade Cole, but man that outfield would be amazing.
I also wonder what it would take to get Ian Kennedy back in a deal, probably wouldn’t happen without Cole but getting Upton who’s under contract and trading for and extending Kennedy would be the kind of move that sets them up for years to come.
Personally while it’s exciting to dream about Upton in black and gold, I think it would make more sense to just trade lesser prospects and get back Quentin, who is really hitting this year. Maybe they can extend him, if not it’s no big deal. I’d imagine they can get him for Rudy Owens/Justin Wilson and another decent prospect.
Upton sucks this year I wouldn’t.
his power has been absent thus far, but he’s still posting a .350 OBP in a slow start.. annnnnnd he’s still young. that comment is fluff
Wow. Cutch & Upton. Get it done Neal. Get. It. Done.
it would be one of the most athletic outfield in a long time but they will have to give Marte up
Taillon, Marte, Hanson?
Not all 3. Pick 2. I would preferrably give up Hanson and Taillon because assuming we sign Appel, Taillon is expendable
add to those two either Wilson, Locke or one of the other pitchers blocked at AAA right now. Arizona can plug them right into the rotation in the second half to see what they can do.
Bleh. I think AZ would just keep Upton at that point. 2 A ball guys and roster filler isnt what towers is looking for IMO.
I doubt Towers would not do that. Both Tailon and Hanson are in A ball. Nice prospects and all, but years away. It just doesnt fit.
I’d rather give up Marte than Hanson in a deal for Upton, I think. Not sure if Hanson can stick at SS long term, but if he does he is the only real SS prospect in the organization. Still a lot of depth at OF even without Marte.
If they throw in Ian Kennedy, yes but not for Upton alone. He’s a very good OF but it’s a down season and no one else will offer that kind of package. That’s three top 50 prospects.
Towers wont trade Upton for 2 A Ball players. just wont happen.
They would throw in another player or two, but usually the way these trades work is one or two top prospects and another 10-15 guy and maybe a live arm of some sort.
Also Marte is in AAA and is pretty much major league ready. I think they’d love to have him in their outfield or even dangle him as trade bait if they’d rather just insert Parra and Kubel into the lineup every day.
I know Upton is young and established but his stock is down and we rarely see teams give up the moon for players anymore. Look at the trades of Greinke, Halladay, Lee, Pence, etc. Teams traded one or two of their top 10 prospects but didn’t flat out drain their system.
Most of those guys werent signed for 3 more years. I dont think 3 prospects is too much to ask. One AAA guy who could be up soon, and 2 A ball guys with Upside. I dont see that as the moon.
baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=marte-… Not a big fan of all of those Ks of Marte. Not impressed.
there was this prospect in arizona a couple years back who was knocked for his k-rate. can’t remember his name
I just looked at Martes stats.. No thanks Forget it. I dont see anything that great. Lots of Ks in the minors, not much power. Im just keeping Upton if Im KT.
your high five tools
definately not Henson. He is a stud!!
if somebody other than me has to get upton, the pirates seem like a good choice
or the jays… either way is good, either way
browsing canadian real estate as we speak
ha, toronto probably has the most overrated and expensive real estate in north america. I’d just get the mlb package and kick your feet up
Have you ordered a Pirates Jersey yet just in case, or are you waiting to see if it actually happens?
I kind of have to agree with Keith Law on this topic; the Pirates finally have a good farm system (11th overall i think) and i would hate to see them give up Taillon, Starling Marte, Alen Hansen, and Rudy Owens in a trade for Justin Upton.
What happened to coveting Chase Headley?
I thinkn it will take a lot for Towers to trade Upton now. Sounds like preliminary discussions are just GMs getting a feel for what it would take.
Headley is a little overrated and wouldn’t really have a set position. I would maybe trade for him in the off-season once they can sort out the 1b/3b situation but right now I’d take Quentin from the Padres.
Headley overrated? He might be the most underrated player in all of baseball!
I think coveting Chase Headley quieted with the production, both offensively and defensively, that the Pirates are getting from Pedro Alvarez. You don’t acquire Headley and put his 3B-defense in the OF, and if Alvarez has turned the corner offensively…his bat holds a ton more value at 3B than at 1B (not to mention the Jones/McGehee platoon working nicely at 1B right now).
I’m not a big fan of giving up all the talent it would take to acquire Upton either, though the fact we’d have him for 3.5 years does cushion that blow. My thoughts are that small market clubs MUST draft well and have that talent materialize at the ML level to be competitive. The Pirates cannot afford to bid for stars in free agency. They need to pick-and-choose their free agents wisely, and use their system to bring impact players to the ML level that are cost controlled (McCutchen, Walker, Alvarez) while injecting free agents to fill in the gaps.
That would be Arizona’s ideal return for Upton, plus Rudy Owens or Jeff Locke.
Is Josh Willingham available or is Terry Ryan still in denial about restocking the Twins farm system with pitching?
As a Padre fan I would want more pitching prospects and not Marte
You have nothing to worry about then. They’re noy giving up Marte for Headley or Quinten.
Headley wants to stay in San Deigo and they want a ton of prospects
The big 3 (Tallion, Cole, Heredia) would be untouchable in a deal for Quentin it would have to be Owens Locke Wilson level
Isn’t B.J a free agent after this season? Maybe we can convince him to come play with his brother and McCutchen 🙂
If the Pirates sign Appel here in a few days, they have a really good piece in Taillon to trade. Appel and Cole in your farm is amazing enough, especially with the pitching they have now.
Pirates should also be looking for a 1 year rental Catcher to trade for.
I hope they sign Appel before they trade Taillion though or else Boras will use it as more leverage.
Boras can try to use it for whatever he likes. If Appel doesn’t sign, the Pirates have pick #8B next year (arguably a deeper draft). Having 2 first round picks, plus potentially a “lottery” pick, and the Pirates could have substantial money to play with in next year’s draft.
Couple that with the fact that Appel would lose serious leverage if he comes out after his SR year…I don’t envy Boras’ situation.
As for trading Taillon, if you’re going to do it…you do it. That move is independent from signing Appel, IMO.
not to mention we could also sign buehler with the bonus money we have saved up think its like 700-800 k
The deadline to sign Appel is Friday…I doubt they make a big deal before then anyway.
Unfortunately, I don’t see the Jays matching up for what Arizona wants/needs
but maybe if you start with Gose, Escobar and Syndergaard you have a chance.
the jays could get him without blinking. it’s a question of willingness. even with upton’s value low(er than usual), i don’t think anthopolous will pay what it takes
I doubt it too. Upton is awesome but the offense has been good enough. I think at this point the upgrades would have to be for run prevention..
however his value is low(er) and you know AA loves a good bargain
and you do have to cash in those prospects at some point; you can’t just wait with fingers crossed
acquire upton, sign greinke, make 4 weirdly good low-level trades. profit
I’m good with moving some prospects, reality is even someone as highly touted as gose or marisnick has such a slim chance to being upton.
our top of the rotation pitching depth scares me though. Romero looks lost, I think even if you do add Grienke you need to add another #3. Mcguire and Jenkins not developing really through a wrench in things. both 1st round picks too.
Even a “Finding-himself” Romero could pass as a #3, assuming he actually succeeds in finding himself. Then you can slot him behind #1 and Morrow. Get an innings eater and cobble the rest together out of Alvarez, McGowan, Hutchison, Cecil, etc.
I wasnt suggesting otherwise from Romero.. I know hes not as good as he was last year..but he’s not as bad as he’s been this year.
However, adding another number 3 would solidify things a bit. Alvarez and Hutch are both still young so inconsistency will be a part of their game.
as for Mcgowan, he’s stop throwing and making another trip to a shoulder specialist. We may never see him pitch again. :/
on-game romero and morrow are poor rotation leaders, but very strong complementary 2/3 guys. alavarez is a great guy to have at the back. if you add a legitimate ace, that rotation is quite good
i agree that adding another solid #3 type would be an effective hedge, though. whether or not it’s for upton, a big trade is warranted in the next ~6 months. and a big signing if you ask me
I think Snider should probably be in any potential deal for Upton unless he is going to be the 4th OF next year. If Jays got Upton and re-signed EE I’d be stoked. Should easliy be a top 3 offense in baseball next year.
Reading fan trade proposals really, really makes my brain hurt. No, guys, real life GM’s will NOT trade 24 year olds who have shown MVP caliber play (who’s also under contract) for anything less than a king’s ransom. They will NOT take your mediocre prospects and good but not great youngsters in A-ball.
Exactly.
I just laugh and make even more insane offers.
Upton makes too much sense for the Reds, so Jocketty probably won’t do it.
Who the Reds have left to trade? They spent the farm on Latos. There’s no way they have anything that could even come close to landing Upton.
Jocketty has barely anyone left too trade they already dealt there 2 biggest propsects Grandal and Alonso already and Boxburger is gone too
also let me help this thread:
the answer to “would a package of x, y, and z be enough?” is “no”
the answer to “you would seriously give up x, y, z, and your first born child?” is “and his mother. and my mother. yes”
Upton is due about 43 million through 2015. Kind of a red flag because of the down year he’s having this season. A dream OF of Marte, Upton and Cutch would be fantastic but I’m sure Marte would have to be included in a deal for Upton.
I would think Marte/Cutch/Bell was the more ideal line.
Bell is still a long ways off – which makes Upton kind of the perfect fit. By the time his contract is up, you have Bell ready to step in and replace him.
In a deal for Upton, the one thing almost CERTAIN to not go back to AZ is another OF. They already have too many stud OFs as it is.
if the of is ready now wed love to have him, chris young is scuffling since coming off the dl, and his bff leaving might make him pout
Pollack is ready if it comes to that. And CY isn’t going to stay at the Mendoza line.
They would want Marte considering they are loaded with pitching in AZ already although there is no doubt in my mind that they would demand Cole or Tallion either.
Quentin is cheaper to grab, and I don’t think it will take as much for him than Upton. It messes up with your Defensive spots a bit (Jones to 1B?), but would be a nice boost to the offense. I also don’t think it would take much, is because the Padres are pretty set in their farm. You put Taillon+ in the mix (after signing Appel), and you got a deal.
No chance you would get Taillon straight up, let alone +, for Quentin.
Once again, their is this false notion that a guy in the Farm > proven ball player and able to contribute now.
So the Pirates should trade a top prospect for an oft-injured, 1/2 season rental? No way, and hiding behind the “guy in the farm < proven ball player" argument is a joke.
Quentin may net the Padres some talent, but if you think they will acquire a top-15 ML prospect for him…you need a reality check.
Quentin won’t get them much remeber he is a injury prone OF who has been struggling of late mind you who also a rental.Grant it he has 0 protection in that Padres lineup.SD I will spell this out
Fulmer-no
Taipa-maybe
Obviously
Wheeler-no
Harvey-no
Familla-no
Mejia-no
Nimmo-no
other than that pick your posion you can have Valdespin, Wilmer Flores, and basically any other.
Taipa+Flores+Valdespin for Quentin and Street
that maybe to much because he is a rental I would definitley do that if we can extend them
True, but Taillon is not happening for an injury prone rental.
You don’t give up a top 10 prospect for a 2 month rental. Ever.
Tell Sabean that,well it was top 50
I wonder if the Padres could work out a three way deal where Upton goes to the Pirates, Headley goes to the D-backs, and Marte comes to the Padres. Obviously, other pieces would have to be involved, but it would seem to satisfy each team’s needs.
So basically the D-backs are trading Upton for Headley? Cmon people.
“obviously, other pieces would have to be involved”.
It would have to be big pieces going to the D-backs, which would complicate things even further. It’s hard even to pull off a superstar trade like Upton, but making the trade go between 3 teams would make the complexity of the trade ridiculous.
The padres might as well just trade for upton
I can’t see the Bucs giving up Marte in an Upton package; given Marte could be a star player under control for six years – the guy’s upside may push McCutchen into LF… that says something. Tabata/Presley are the most expendable outfielders – both with every-day upside, but consistency issues. I think Brad Lincoln is a great sell-high chip. Apparently, the Pirates have no intention of giving Jeff Clement another chance despite a strong, healthy season at AAA. Jordy Mercer should already be the starting short stop, but Neal won’t admit his failure and cut Barmes – making Mercer expendable. Etc. etc. etc. The Bucs have the pieces and landing Upton would be huge, but they have to remember they’re the Pirates.
Billy,
You must not have been watching games – Barmes is playing great defense – that is what they wanted from him when the signed him…
Yes they expected more like .260 with a few more homers – but they need his glove…
My concern over Upton is attitude – he seems to have become more like his brother – great talent – but poor work ethic – not a good team mate…
I watch every game. Mercer has above average defensive skills, similar to Barmes – but with the ability to get on base more than a couple times every few days.
Fair enough – and I am not a huge fan of Barmes – but do think his defense is what they want. Certainly agree they will need to upgrade SS over the winter. Right now I am more concerned about the pitching – a better third starter would be my first priority – and I think the time has come to put Marte on the field and see what he can do – gives you a couple of weeks before the trade deadline – if he fails, go all in for the best bat available,
Agreed on the 3rd starter. Karstens has shown he can be that guy, but I won’t hold my breath on it. I could see some of the crazy packages in this thread being offered up for Felix Hernandez or another ace on a team with no chance. That’s an “all-in” move for this season. Seems like by slotting Correia into the 2-spot, the Bucs FO is thinking of finding another arm sooner than later.
Also agreed on Marte. The Sutton magic seems to have cost him a couple weeks of at bats – especially considering how Hernandez is being used.
I love Karstens – but if they could get a Quality 3 he then becomes even more valuable as a 4…
We shall see how this all plays out – but I think they wanted Marte to play in the minors through the break and then bring him up – the second part of that is they might play Sutton at Short for a stretch and see if he can continue to hit – he is a definite liability defensively though…
You’re basing that on Mercer’s .077/.200/.077 line, then?
If I was the Sox this is what I would offer for Upton. Brentz, Lavarnway, and Jacobs plus maybe someone like Stolmy. That way they get someone who is near ready in Brentz, someone who is ready in Lavarnway, and a very solid down the line guy in Jacobs. If it required Bradley, Barnes, Bogaerts, Garin, or Owens I don’t want it done.
Yeah. That won’t unfortunately. They just threw a ton of money at Montero, like VMart 50m+ and upped the catching market for mediocrity earlier in the season, so they don’t need a MLB ready catcher right now.
It would take 1 of the ‘big 3″ and only one would consider myself, would be Bradley that Upton could take the place of really and even then not like it.
not even close with the first proposal
my preference is to sell high on middlebrooks, instead of giving away bogaerts or barnes. if bradley has to go too, he can
AZ wants a 3B. middlebrooks is highly overrated right now. you give aviles the 3B job and let jose iglesias save runs without producing any for the rest of the year at SS. alternatively, you flip ross and possibly shoppach for a stopgap 3B
as bad as i want upton, it would be really hard to include bogaerts unless the rest of the package were relatively light
I’m upset that Ben hasn’t made it happen yet, really (not really).
I’d do back flips if they did that.
I didn’t think I would be close I was just lobbing out an idea of what I think we can afford to lose. Barnes and Bogaerts MUST stay. Bradley I like a lot but If he were the center piece its a deal you gotta make. Middlebrooks I didn’t think about, but I guess if he was the centerpiece I would be cool with that as long as nobody of that other 3 were involved. I think we should keep Ross in case Papi leaves, and if a package of Middlebrooks, Brentz, and Garin could get it done we would be able to trade Ellsbury right before he hits free agency.
Even if it had to be Middlebrooks and Bradley centering the deal I think you have to do it, as long as the other guys weren’t too highly rated (Middlebrooks, Bradley, and 2-3 mid-range prospects would probably be a reasonable deal for both teams). It’s a lot of talent to give up, but the opportunity to add a Justin Upton doesn’t come along very often, and when it does you know it’s going to hurt, but you have to try.
Weren’t the Mariners on that no-trade list? If so, i could care less about Upton at all.. in fact good riddance go stink somewhere else. Arizona obviously has no faith in you anymore haha.
Stay classy Arizona.
Strange… because i’m not from Arizona, and i’ve never been to Arizona.
That’s interesting Upton doesn’t want to go to the AL Central.
I wonder if the Orioles have any interest. I know we have Markakis, but our outfield defense has been a bit of a disaster as of late. You know what, if I am the Orioles, I would offer Machado in a deal for Upton.
Although, I do wonder why the D’Backs are so hot’n heavy to dump him? They will get prospects for sure, still why are they willing to trade him?
the BUCS def have the pieces to acquire J. Upton. i’m sure Jameson would have to be part of the deal. – i won’t speculate on any offers but adding Upton to the mix with McCutchen and Marte would be pretty SiCK.
If the interest is as crazy as it’s being described (not surprising because Upton has the makings of a young superstar) I’d prefer the Pirates to just bow out. They are doing just fine right now without Upton and they can’t get rid of everything they’ve put in the effort to build just to get him. There is a very good chance that Quentin will outproduce Upton for the rest of the season and he could be had for a lot less. Re-sign him and trade Tabata in the offseason or simply let him walk and insert Marte into RF next season.
I agree 100%. I think people are assuming that the Pirates would be only renting Quentin for the rest of the season. Well, these aren’t the same Pirates: they will spend money on the right people (Cutch). I like Upton, but I am not in favor of trading the prime prospects to get him.
Quentin is a SoCal guy. No amount of money will bring him and his lousy D to the rust belt. I agree that NH is going to have to spend starting this summer but not on this dude.
Highly unlikely the would “simply let him walk” given the contract Tabata just signed.
My prediction is that nothing happens until closer to the deadline. The Pirates call up Marte and put him in the outfield right after the all star game. The schedule is not daunting and if he gets off to a good start – continues what he has been doing lately in the minors they focus on adding a pitcher.
Despite the Tigers being on his list, one has to wonder if Upton would still approve a deal to the Tigers if it was offered. A chance to hit in that sweet spot between Austin Jackson and Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder? When he made the list, the Tigers had just traded Curtis Granderson, let Polanco walk, and it looked like they were headed for a full rebuild. Plus Detroit is overblown as a place that players don’t want to go. A lot of that changed with the Prince Fielder signing though and Verlander extension.
Furthermore, the Tigers have exactly what the Dbacks would want. A Top 3b prospect, Castellanos, as well as a top OF prospect Avisail Garcia, with plenty of pitching prospects to boot.
Dbacks have absolutely no need for another OF prospect. They have 4 OFs that should all be starting as it is with 2 more waiting their turn in AAA just withering away. But I do agree that Castellanos is appealing. But J Up is not going for Castellanos straight up. Dbacks would be looking for some sort of pretty high prospects (1-2) to be thrown in at least. A big thing is, Upton is under team control until 2015, so there is a LOT to like there.
For the Pirates to get Upton I’m thinking Taillon, Marte, Alvarez, Heredia, Hanson, and Morris. Upton deserves a huge return and would definitely take two or three top guys and two or three B+ pieces
There is a chance of coaxing Taillon and maybe Marte out of them along with a younger prospect with potential. They won’t be giving up 6 players at least 3 of whom should have some serious impact on an MLB club very soon. Pittsburgh is not going to mortgage the future on one player.
sooooo….basically 4 top 120 prospects (2 in the top 40) and a starting 3B plus more for 1 guy? 2 SP, a closer, an OF, a SS, and a 3B for 1 guy?
Wait, you don’t want McCutchen thrown in too?
you’re insane
That is ridiculous. No way on Alvarez, Hanson, or Heredia. Taillon, Marte, and one lower prospect. There is your deal.
As a diamondback fan, i think i would have to consider a deal if we can get pedro alvarez as well as 1 more pretty big prospect and a few lower end prospects. Dbacks are already jammed in the OF needing a third baseman and to some extent alvarez has out performed upton this year.
The pirates wont trade Pedro
They aren’t going to trade Alvarez. They’ve invested too much in him, and he is finally starting to produce. Never going to happen.
I just think the dbacks would not give up upton unless they got someone MLB ready who could help produce now and not in 3 years.
The Pirates are in the playoff hunt. They are looking to add to the team. They aren’t looking to dismantle their team and rebuild.
I think the Reds should be all over at least Justin Upton. If stubbs could figure out how to be patient and stop striking out and hit the ball every now and then, trading for Upton would give us a very very good outfield for years.
Yes were going to have to give up alot but here’s my package
DiDi Gregorius: This guy is projected to be a very good player who has hit at every level he has played at, and also showed some above average speed to be a threat on the basepaths. He has a hell of a arm and a pretty good athlete. Will take over for Stephen Drew
ETA: 2013 4th ranked prospect
Neftali Soto: Has increased his production at every level he has played at , last year He hit 30 homers in double AA, He doesnt walk much but he doesnt strike out much either.
ETA: 2013 6th ranked prospect
Ryan LaMarre: A toolsy outfielder, who broke out with 50 steals last year.Has raw power but we have yet to see him put it together. Very good defensive instincts in center
ETA: 2013-2014 8th ranked prospect
JC Sulbaran-A guy that was in the futures game in 2009 at age 19. He hasnt stayed completely healthy in the past but right now he has 3 pitches so he is a starter and had a very good year last year striking out 10.3 Per/9 and walking about 3 per/9
ETA 2013-2014 5th ranked prospect
Ryan Wright- A guy who has some power to be a offensive mind 2nd basemen and also could play alot of different places which he did in college. He also hits for aveage and has some speed to him to make this intersting for his career
ETA: 2014. 11th ranked prospect
is this a Fair proposal for Justin Upton?
Hahahahaha not even close! A package of a bunch of scrubes for Upton. He’s gonna command a top prospects in the entire LEAGUE. Not scraps from your farm. Good god. Billy Hamilton would comeback 100% guaranteed if the Reds tried.
remember this name,stetson allie? trade the prospects for a proven bat!
couldn’t agree more!!!!! Shoot, add to it to pry Drew away as well.
What do you think fans, should Arizona sell high on Kubel?
youre crazy, kubes isnt going anywhere.
Neil Huntington, the Pirates GM, is doing as he has always done, he is bargain shopping. It has taken this franchise too many years to reach this current level, and he is not going to mess with the current winning chemistry, nor mortgage its future. I look for Huntington to add a couple of pieces, on the cheap. Any trades done will not include any of the current roster, and none of the top prospects will be changing uniforms.
What’s Upton’s deal been this year? He plays in a pitcher park…. Is he a malcontent?
When did Chase Field become a Pitchers park?
So Tabata, Locke, Grossman, tallion, casey meghee, Mercer. for Justin sounds good to me. Had MAtt Hauge if they want
Starting Rf, 3rd, ss/2nd and 1st solid number 3 pitcher. James and Grossman should be reay by next June.
We go with Garret Jones and Jeff clement at 1st for the rest of the year.
Why in the hell would the D-Backs want McGehee? The have Goldshmidt at 1st, with Roberts and Bloomquist at 3rd who are much better defensively and comparable offensively.
no thanx would rather have mcgehee than jeff at first
I wish people would get off the Jeff Clement train. He’s a lifetime AAA player. He can’t hit big league pitching.
I say trade anyone except Cutch and Marte to get Upton. He’ll look sweet in the black and gold carrying the World Series trophy.
Redacted.
Redacted.
Pirates should just keep their top prospects, go after a guy like scott hairston
so basically we stock all these arms so they rot iin the minors instead of getting pieces we need,, and no i do not advocate trading tailon and cole for upton but we have other prospects not all of them can play on the team so stop using no mortgaging the future saying
dbacks would probably want cole, to pair him up again with bauer
In order to address both the Quentin and Upton trade rumors, you must separate them and build deals individually. I’m sorry, Padres fans, but if you think your team is going to get anything close to the caliber of prospects from a Quentin deal as an Upton deal, you are probably better served hanging onto Quentin and hoping he wants to stay in SD.
Quentin isn’t worth ANY of our Top 50 prospects. Not one. Not a one for one. It won’t happen, and if that means San Diego rejects any deal, then so be it.
Upton is a different story. A 24-year old 2-time All Star with a pedigree very close to Andrew McCutchen, controllable thru 2015. He would look great in black and gold, and I would be OK with the Bucs trading Taillon/Marte to get him, but ONLY if it was part of a bigger deal that also netted us a viable #3 starting pitcher. Perhaps a 3-team deal? The Pirates are in first place, have a legit shot of a playoff season, and are built for the long run (2012-2016). Despite that, they have but ONE big deal that they can afford. They need to make it count if they are dealing any of their Top 50 prospects.
And in addition, there is NO DEAL that Gerrit Cole would be a part of. Also, the very notion that Pedro Alvarez could be part of any deal is hilarious. El Toro is the Pirates third baseman and is just figuring ML pitching out. He has the look of a guy who will finish the year with 40/100. How many third basemen are there in the league right now who are in that category? Longoria, if healthy – Miguel Cabrera, maybe Beltre. Pedro is on his way to being in that category of third baseman.
Diamondbacks; Chase Headley, and Starling Marte
Pirates; Carlos Quentin
Padres; Justin Upton
Woooo!
You obviously aren’t a Pirates fan. Marte isn’t going anywhere for three months of Quentin.
Agree. But points for seeing the trifecta of needs.
If the Pirates were able to KEEP Marte by giving up Gerrit Cole instead of Taillion, then I would absolutely make a deal. Also, with Drew falling out of favor with Arizona’s ownership, Id like to find a way to add him to the deal. I few possible options here:
Gerrit Cole
Jose Tabata
Jeff Locke
Brian Friday
FOR
Justin Upton
OR
Gerrit Cole
Jose Tabata
Alex Presley
Jeff Locke
Kyle McPherson
Brian Friday
Chase D’Arnaud
Matt Hague
For
Juston Upton
Stephen Drew
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If including Cole rather than Taillion allows us to keep Marte, then I say game-on!
Id love to see a starting outfield of Cutch, Upton, and Marte for next season. And we would still have Taillion, Heredia, and Appel (Presumably, if he is signed)
But in my own honest opinion, the need for Cole to be in Pittsburgh next year has been lowered due to the emergence of J Mac, having Burnett thru next season, and Jeff Karstens being, well, Jeff Karstens. I feel that Rudy Owens, Justin Wilson, and Rick Vanden Hurk can surely fill out next years rotation without feeling like we completely missed out by not having Cole. In my opinion, if thats what needs to happen to NOT part with Marte and still acquire Upton it should be a NO BRAINER!
Upton and Drew both have severe character issues. Would you want to bring them into Hurdle’s House? Although nice one sliding in guys like D’Arnaud and Hague.
still laughing at the people who keep putting Pedro Alvarez in their fantasy trades. You have to wonder if they actually watch baseball or just play fantasy and think the real world works like their 10-man league. Funny stuff.
Here are some career stats to this point for both players (keep in mind that Upton is a year younger than Alvarez):
Average WAR Per Season: Upton: 2.0 Alvarez .1
OBP: Alvarez: .305 Upton: 357
SLUG: Alvarez: .418 Upton: .477
OPS+: Alvarez: 98 Upton: 117
K Rate: Alvarez: 34.2% Upton: 27.0%
AB Per HR: Alvarez: 23.25 Upton:24.47
Upton is only having a worse season than Alvarez right now, and his career numbers are extremely better. Considering that the DBacks are looking for a third baseman right now, it is entirely reasonable that Alvarez would be a piece in a trade sending Upton to Pittsburgh. I’m thinking that Alvarez and Taillon would be enough, but I’m thinking they could switch Taillon for a couple of lesser prospects. One thing I would definitely bet on is that if the Pirates get Upton, they’ll only have one of Alvarez and Cole. For anything less than a package based around one of those two, I think Towers would rather keep Upton.
And yes, I do watch baseball. I just try not to let it corrupt my view of players, especially guys who put up large homerun numbers who are putting up average or worse numbers in every other catagory. Alvarez reminds me so much of Mark Reynolds it’s scary, and as a DBacks fan, I’m postive I would not want to make a deal sending Upton to Pittsburgh if the main piece coming back was Alvarez. I still think Towers might bite, but I would rather not see another boom or bust power hitter like we had when we were losing 90 or more games a year.
Tabata is not a bad trading piece. He projects as a solid MLB player and is still young. More importantly, he has an incredibly friendly contract….
That being said I agree that Marte is not going to be involved in the deal. It simply is not a need of AZ even when they dump Upton. The most intriguing trade would be to acquire both Drew and Upton but that is a stretch.
If the Pirates are going to pay to rent a player it will be one of the 2 big Startng pitchers, not an outfielder. CQ is more likely a candidate but Upton would have the City of Pittsburgh in a tizzy and the tickets would be hard to come by…
Tickets are already hard to come by. Did you go down to PNC during the SF series? That was nuts.
I wonder does Upton appeal to Atlanta he could be a solid fit for them except for the fact that they may not have enough money to afford this deal.
A deal of Teheran+Ahmed+Minor could get that deal done.
Bourn
Prado
Chipper
Mc Cann
Upton
Freeman
Uggla
Simmons
Pitcher
That is scary considering the numbers Upton can put up
As a Phoenix resident I assure you the D’Backs will not trade Upton. Even after their lousy play so far this year they are only 4 games behind the Dodgers and Upton has shown signs of life recently. He’s only 24 and under control for 3 more years. Just no way Jose – take it to the bank. All the above is just pure blowing smoke.