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[CrimsoNation713]

UAdan, on 06 January 2013 - 12:43 PM, said:

that'd be straight-up stupid. Bourn is elite defensively. Upton is solid, but nowhere near the defensive CFer that Bourn is.

ABSOLUTELY this !!! How many acrobatic catches did Bourne make last year ? No way he plays LF.

[Neil Caudle is Superman]

The only reason I can come up with for putting Bourne in left would be so that BJ doesn't get rusty in center field after Bourne is gone again. Unfortunately that reasoning is nowhere near worth it... Bourne was statistically the best defensive player in all of baseball last year... There's no reason to waste that in left field.

We may be able to get Bourne as cheap as $8 or $9 million the way things look right now. There are really only two other teams with the need and means to sign him, Seattle and Philly, since Texas just signed Berkman, more or less eliminating them. I don't think Philadelphia can afford to sign Bourne and I don't think he makes sense for them anyway. They already have a great lead off center fielder in Ben Revere and they absolutely need more power in their lineup.
If the Mariners don't make a big offer, I think we get Bourne (if we want him).

[UAdan]

So the Justin Upton saga takes another interesting twist.

The Mariners and D-backs agreed on a 4-for-1 deal that would've sent Upton to Seattle...but the deal fell through because Seattle is one of four MLB teams included in Upton's no-trade clause.

What this does mean, however, is that the prospect of Upton being traded SOMEWHERE is way more than just innuendo/speculation. Arizona appears to be actively looking to move him, and have already agreed in principle to one deal.

[UAdan]

And what does the Mariners' ESPN Insider writer think of Upton's current situation?

"Jason A. Churchill‏@ProspectInsider
Many believe Upton is holding out to be traded to Atlanta."

[Neil Caudle is Superman]

I don't blame him one bit for declining Seattle... Tough hitter's ballpark in a tough division on a team that doesn't get much press coverage.

I just don't think I want Justin Upton's price tag on the books with so many important Braves players coming off of arbitration over the next few years.

[UAdan]

His contract would only be on the books for three years. I would think we'd be able to manage to make it work for three years. Most of our young guys are under team control for longer than that already. We could wait until a couple of years from now to re-evaluate who we'd want to lock up beyond 2015.

We would be maxed out, for sure, but we'd also have our starting outfield set for the next three seasons...and Simmons at SS, Freeman at 1B. That's five of eight position players we have secured for multiple seasons. Uggla's contract also runs through 2015, though he could be trade bait at some point if he doesn't rediscover his power.

We'd have to decide between Prado and Mac, I'm guessing (if we landed Upton I highly doubt we could afford both of them) and we'd probably bring back Prado and throw either Bethancourt/Gattis at catcher in 2014.

[GoldenRebel]

I love Mac.  But his best days are behind him.

[UAdan]

GoldenRebel, on 10 January 2013 - 09:08 PM, said:

I love Mac.  But his best days are behind him.

Sad but true. Seems like an ideal DH candidate.

[GoldenRebel]

Any idea of who the Dbacks are wanting?  I'm assuming at least 2 of our pitching prospects.  I bet they want Simmons and we are trying to counter that.

[CrimsoNation713]

Its going to be tough for us to try and get a big name without Simmons being mentioned.

[UAdan]

GoldenRebel, on 10 January 2013 - 09:19 PM, said:

Any idea of who the Dbacks are wanting?  I'm assuming at least 2 of our pitching prospects.  I bet they want Simmons and we are trying to counter that.

They got their stud SS prospect (Gregorius) in the three-way deal that sent Trevor Bauer to Cleveland. So the thought is now that they no longer would make Simmons a requirement...making a deal more possible than it was a couple of months ago. I really haven't heard specifics on what they want, though they do need a bullpen arm (specifically a lefty).

[Neil Caudle is Superman]

Yeah their primary concern is pitching now I believe. I'd be fine giving them Delgado, Gilmartin, Gattis, Walden, etc. for Upton...

IF we can guarantee ourselves that we'll be able to keep Heyward/Freeman/Medlen/Kimbrel etc. then I'd be ecstatic to get Upton. Screw Brian McCann. We should have resigned David Ross and let McCann go this season, but there's no way we keep him past 2013. He's not worth the money he'll be able to command.

[UAdan]

And the latest rumor is that the Rangers have "moved on" from Upton.

The Braves are seriously the best, and potentially most realistic, fit for Justin Upton at this point. I still doubt that it'll actually happen, but I do think we are definitely in discussions and probably the "frontrunner" as things stand now.

[Neil Caudle is Superman]

Yeah, the Rangers were the only other real contender... Baltimore is pretty much out after they talked and obviously Seattle is not so hot now. If the D-Backs are desperate to move him which they may as well be after this, we stand a fair shot I think.

[Tider27]

Just got done watching Trouble with a Curve, checked out the rumors and got pretty excited. During the movie all I could think about was both Uptons being in Atlanta sure would be nice. Looks like it's either us or he's staying.


My reaction when I thought Seattle got him...




In honor of Clint Eastwood's TwaC haha. Gran Torino = 10x better.

Edited by Tider27, 10 January 2013 - 10:39 PM.