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B.J. Upton

Latest On Braves’ Outfield Targets

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The Braves offered a four-player package to the Astros for Hunter Pence, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Astros sought two of the Braves' top four pitching prospects and another good young pitcher, so a deal was not reached.  With Pence and Carlos Beltran off the board, here's the latest on the Braves' hunt for a hitter…

  • Byrd is not going to be traded, writes ESPN's Jayson Stark, though the Braves took a run at him.  Stark says the Twins are set on receiving big league-ready players for Denard Span.  Bourn, Upton, Crisp, and Quentin are on the radar, while there are no signs the Braves have pursued Ludwick or Willingham of late.
  • The Braves are strongly in on Quentin, tweets Bob Nightengale, but the White Sox are still unlikely to move him.  Chicago's asking price is very high, tweets Jon Paul Morosi, and the Braves are interested but not optimistic.
  • Cubs center fielder Marlon Byrd appears to be among the names on Atlanta's radar, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • The Braves' talks for Oakland center fielder Coco Crisp slowed Friday, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, but he wonders if they'll be rekindled now that the Phillies got Pence.
  • The Braves are almost certain to land an outfielder before the deadline, reports Rosenthal.  He cites the names you have been hearing for a while: B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn, Ryan Ludwick, Carlos Quentin, and Josh Willingham.
  • Bourn is on the Braves' radar, tweets Crasnick.  Padres right fielder Ludwick is "more down the list of options."  Would Astros GM Ed Wade deal another outfielder?  He told reporters earlier tonight, "We’re going to be open-minded on all fronts. We’re going to be good listeners."
  • The Braves are targeting a center fielder, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan, though it doesn't rule them out on corner guys.

B.J. Upton Rumors: Friday

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The Braves, Indians, Nationals, Phillies and Pirates have all been linked to B.J. Upton this week, so it won't be surprising if the center fielder is suiting up for a National League team within a week. With Carlos Beltran and Colby Rasmus off of the trade market, Upton and Hunter Pence (latest rumors) are the top available outfielders. Here's the buzz on Upton, who hit his 16th homer last night:

  • Upton is “available,” but a number of teams linked to him appear to be focused on other moves at this point, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark writes. The Phillies, Braves and Pirates, for example, are working on other fronts. The Nationals remain interested.
  • The Rays' asking price for Upton is more reasonable than the Astros' asking price for Pence, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

B.J. Upton Rumors: Wednesday

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The Indians, Nationals, Braves and Pirates are among the teams with interest in B.J. Upton, who isn't in the Rays' lineup tonight despite having rested Sunday. Here are the latest rumors on the center fielder:

  • The Phillies think they can obtain Upton more cheaply than Hunter Pence, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • Upton told teammates he had some quad tightness, according to Topkin (on Twitter).
  • The Rays don't have a deal in place for Upton now, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
  • Now that Colby Rasmus and Carlos Beltran are off of the market, the list of teams with possible interest in Upton is taking shape, Topkin explains. The Phillies and Reds are also possible destinations.

Indians Remain Aggressive

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The Indians remain aggressive after their failed run at Carlos Beltran, tweets Yahoo's Jeff Passan.  Passan says the Indians are "trying to move on" Colby Rasmus, B.J. Upton, and Hiroki Kuroda.

Though a deal was never presented to Beltran, the Indians offered to pick up all of his contract and send a good player to the Mets, reported MLB.com's Peter Gammons yesterday.  Rasmus, meanwhile, may be headed elsewhere.

Miller On Upton, Angels, Slowey

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Scott Miller of CBSSports.com has updates on the trade market. Here they are… 

  • Miller’s sources expect the Rays to trade B.J. Upton by Sunday (click here for the latest on Upton).
  • Angels owner Arte Moreno has approved a payroll increase, according to Miller. The Angels are looking for a third baseman, but they would send Erick Aybar to the Mets for Jose Reyes straight up, according to Miller. The Mets, however, aren’t interested; they’ll keep Reyes instead.
  • Minnesota is expected to trade Kevin Slowey, who continues to draw interest, according to Miller. Earlier tonight, we heard that the Rockies are interested in Slowey.

Passan On Upton, Nationals, Melky, Francoeur

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The latest on the trade market from Yahoo’s Jeff Passan…

  • A number of MLB officials tell Passan that they consider the Nationals the favorites for B.J. Upton. However, a Rays official says there’s no favorite at this point (click here for the latest on Upton).
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has told teams that pitching prospect Brad Peacock is not available.
  • Nationals executives and scouts have told others that Ian Desmond is available (despite reports that that Washington will hold onto its shortstop).
  • The Royals are leaning toward keeping Melky Cabrera in 2012, according to Passan. Cabrera, who is having an excellent season and remains under team control next year, might not fetch enough in a trade for GM Dayton Moore to pull the trigger.
  • The Royals are hoping to work out some kind of contract for next year with Jeff Francoeur. The sides have a 2012 mutual option for $4MM, but the Royals would likely have to offer more to lock Francoeur up for next season. They get the impression that the 27-year-old is interested in staying in Kansas City.

B.J. Upton Rumors: Tuesday

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The latest on Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, who owns a .229/.310/.399 line on the season:

My apologies for an earlier error in which I erroneously attributed Joel Sherman's "asking for a ton" quote to the Rays and B.J. Upton.  The quote actually referred to the Cardinals and Colby Rasmus.

Passan On Upton, Nationals, Melky, Francoeur

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The latest on the trade market from Yahoo’s Jeff Passan…

  • A number of MLB officials tell Passan that they consider the Nationals the favorites for B.J. Upton. However, a Rays official says there’s no favorite at this point (click here for the latest on Upton).
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has told teams that pitching prospect Brad Peacock is not available.
  • Nationals executives and scouts have told others that Ian Desmond is available (despite reports that that Washington will hold onto its shortstop).
  • The Royals are leaning toward keeping Melky Cabrera in 2012, according to Passan. Cabrera, who is having an excellent season and remains under team control next year, might not fetch enough in a trade for GM Dayton Moore to pull the trigger.
  • The Royals are hoping to work out some kind of contract for next year with Jeff Francoeur. The sides have a 2012 mutual option for $4MM, but the Royals would likely have to offer more to lock Francoeur up for next season. They get the impression that the 27-year-old is interested in staying in Kansas City.

B.J. Upton Rumors: Monday

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Rays center fielder B.J. Upton may not crack the top 20 on our list of available bats ranked by wOBA, but his defense and potential are enough to make him a hot name on the 2011 trade market.  The latest:

Stark On Bell, Beltran, Rays, Giants

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The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • The Rangers and Phillies are the favorites for Padres closer Heath Bell, with the Cardinals, Angels, Braves, and Reds also in the mix.
  • One executive Stark spoke to wouldn't be surprised to see a dark horse like the Reds or Brewers make a late run at Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran.
  • An official who spoke with the Rays over the weekend said that while they're not trading James Shields, they'll decide later this week on players like Johnny Damon and Kyle Farnsworth.  B.J. Upton could be dealt even if the team closes its 6.5 game wild card deficit.
  • The Rays and Blue Jays have been scouting each other's farm systems recently.  One scout speculated that the Jays could join a three-team Upton trade somehow.
  • One team says Brian Sabean's off-limits prospects are Zack Wheeler, Heath Hembree, and Gary Brown, along with Brandon Belt.  That'd leave the team without any top 50 prospects to move, with Francisco Peguero and Ehire Adrianza in the next tier based on Baseball America's preseason rankings.  There's also Double-A lefty Eric Surkamp, who brought his ERA down to 2.00 yesterday.
  • The Phillies are steering teams to their High-A Clearwater club, as they don't want to trade big leaguers and not to add much more than a million bucks in payroll.  Jonathan Singleton, Brody Colvin, Trevor May, Sebastian Valle, and Jiwan James are names to watch there assuming Jarred Cosart is untouchable.  Stark says the Phillies have cooled on Beltran and Hunter Pence is a long shot, so the focus is now the back end of the bullpen.  Heath Bell is the top target, with Brandon League also on the radar.
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