Last night, we learned B.J. Upton is looking to make a decision sometime this week. Here are the latest rumors about the fifth-ranked player on MLBTR's Top 50 Free Agents list:
- The Braves and Phillies are locked in a fascinating bidding war with a mystery third team, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio. The Braves are considered to have a slight lead with final offers due this week.
- Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets he believes the Braves and Phillies are the two finalists for Upton, but the Reds also have some interest and possibly the Nationals.
- O'Brien predicts the Braves will pay more than they wanted and sign Upton, although he thinks Michael Bourn is a better fit (Twitter links).
- One aftershock of Upton's decision will be the pursuit of the Rockies' Dexter Fowler, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. If the Braves do sign Upton, the Phillies and Nationals could emerge as trade partners and the asking price will be very high.
