As a Braves’ trade target, I’d hustle after B.J. Upton
B.J. Upton hustles on occasion. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The Braves’ starting outfield for the first two games against Washington: Eric Hinske in left, Gregor Blanco in center, Melky Cabrera in right. Blanco began the season in the minor leagues, while Hinske was imported primarily as a pinch-hitter and Cabrera as a fourth outfielder.
The Braves’ outfield health: Lousy. Jason Heyward (bum thumb) just went on the disabled list. Matt Diaz (ditto) just exited the DL. Nate McLouth (sore head) is still there.
The good news: The Braves remain in first place.
The reality: They’ll need more outfielders to stay there.
The rumor: Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com reports that the Braves are seeking a right-handed outfield bat before the July 31st trade deadline. Morosi names three names: Josh Willingham of Washington, Corey Hart of Milwaukee and Jose Bautista of Toronto.
The caveat: All three will become free agents after the 2011 season, and we know how well the Braves do at keeping free agents. So any of the three would likely be a 14-month rental and would surely require the Braves to trade one of their minor-league pitching prospects. (Morosi mentions Mike Minor, the club’s No. 1 draftee in 2009.)
The better option (says me): B.J. Upton, Tampa Bay center fielder.
The story so far: Upton is one of the game’s biggest talents, but he’s also among its greatest mysteries. He’s hitting .226, and a guy this skilled should be able to bunt .300. He got into a dugout dust-up with teammate Evan Longoria over Upton’s disinclination to hustle after a ball Sunday, and Tampa manager Joe Maddon didn’t start Upton in Tuesday’s game. (Though not, Maddon said with a straight face, for disciplinary purposes. Just to rest the young man, who apparently wasn’t getting enough rest while playing center field.) But Upton was deployed as a sub, and he legged out an eighth-inning triple. So there.
The downside: Upton might not be manageable. He might continue to swing at everything. (He has more career strikeouts than hits.) He might play no better for the Braves than he has for the Rays.
The upside: He’s 25. He makes only $3 million (but is arbitration-eligible after this season). He’s right-handed. He plays center field. He is, as noted, a talent of the first rank, and we can’t really say that about any Braves outfielder other than Heyward. If/when Upton does figure things out, he’ll be a major star.
The obvious risk: The Braves’ clubhouse, never a boiling cauldron, is utterly harmonious at the moment. Upton could upset the equilibrium.
The potential gain: A first-place team would get a lot more talented in a hurry, and Upton won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season.
Loading ...The upside for Upton: A change of scenery, which can’t hurt if he’s getting into it with Longoria, who’s the main man in Tampa. And a different managerial voice in Bobby Cox, for whom everyone loves playing. And the promise of an even different managerial voice when Fredi Gonzalez takes over next season. (Wait. Am I getting ahead of things here?)
The potential snag: Fredi Gonzalez doesn’t like guys who don’t hustle. Ask Hanley Ramirez.
The worst-case scenario: Upton comes here and continues to hit .226, which would still be an upgrade over McLouth, who’s hitting .176. The Braves don’t win the division and then, disenchanted, don’t tender Upton over the winter. Which means he walks away and the whole thing is written off as a Teixeira-sized fizzle.
The best-case scenario: Upton gives the Braves their desired right-handed bat, plays the best center field the Braves have seen since Andruw Jones discovered carbohydrates and re-invents himself as the missing piece on a championship team.
The bottom line: Me, I’d do it. Upton is a far more dynamic player than any of the three mentioned by FoxSports. (Hart is the most intriguing of the three — he has 60 RBIs — but he’d also be a mighty expensive quick fix.) Unless you believe Jordan Schafer, who’s hitting .221 at Class AAA Gwinnett, is still the center fielder of the future, the Braves must move to upgrade that essential position at some point. Why not now, I say? Why not upgrade with Upton?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
417 comments Add your comment
nobody
June 30th, 2010
12:53 pm
Im not sure but Im sure someone else would know, Does bobby like to steal? I know we dont have speedy guys. but i dont even remeber Mclouth getting to steal much.
F-105 Thunderchief
June 30th, 2010
12:54 pm
Willingham hits pretty well. He’s not a “big” bat though. And, he’s no Leo Willingham.
wawel78
June 30th, 2010
12:54 pm
I’m not sure how big of a liability the lineup is. If there is a weakness on the team right now, I think it is starting pitching. Only Hudson & Medlen are reliable at this point. But I don’t see the braves getting in one one of the pitchers who could significantly help this year.
I do love speed on the basepath though.
nobody
June 30th, 2010
12:54 pm
I seriously doubt Hart or Bautista will be available to us. Hart is having a moster year and Bautista is the best guy on that team arguably. What do we have and want that can match what theyre losing?
Casey
June 30th, 2010
12:55 pm
He’s good! We know the Braves don’t go after anybody good until after their prime!
lazydawg
June 30th, 2010
12:55 pm
If I were the GM I would go after Vernon Wells before I went after any of the one’s you mentioned.
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
12:55 pm
The Nats make the most sense to make a deal with, they need ML ready relievers to bolster the confidence of their young starters. They did blow 3 leads in Baltimore and it could be argued that their bullpen gave up the first game to the Braves. Might I suggest Marek, Dunn (sub 2.00 ERAs at AAA) along with Ortegano. Wren will not jeopardize the long term plan by trading any of his 6-7 best minor leaguers.
nobody
June 30th, 2010
12:56 pm
F-105 he has 14 homeruns and had 2 grandslams in one game last year. He has pop. and he can hit for average and get RBI’s. Hes like troy glaus for the outfield
shmoe
June 30th, 2010
12:56 pm
based on history, it is pure fantasy to believe braves will even attempt to acquire upton. even if he had good numbers they wouldn’t try to get him, much less with what he’s got going on now. it is also fantasy to believe that somehow miraculously upton will come here and hustle really hard and produce good numbers all of a sudden. there’s no denying his ‘talent’ however.
wawel78
June 30th, 2010
12:56 pm
as someone else mentioned – you don’t typically see teams in contention trading important pieces.
chop
June 30th, 2010
12:57 pm
@ nobody: both the brewers and blue jays could use a young, talented, hot-headed shortstop….coughyunelescobarcough.
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
12:57 pm
nobody-
Are you a fan of the movie “Dead Man” starring Johnny Depp?
nobody
June 30th, 2010
12:57 pm
exactly thickfreakness. We wouldnt have to give all that much up to get willingham
UGA_2001
June 30th, 2010
12:57 pm
Bautista, are you kidding? This team has chemistry, the last thing we need is a non-team player like Upton. Talent is not the only thing that matters. Get Bautista and his tremendous power.
wawel78
June 30th, 2010
12:57 pm
how can you argue the Nat’s bullpen lost the first game of the series?
Tweets that mention As a Braves' trade target, I'd hustle after Tampa's B.J. Upton | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
June 30th, 2010
12:57 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley. Mark Bradley said: As a Braves’ trade target, I’d hustle after B.J. Upton http://bit.ly/b3tSO5 [...]
nobody
June 30th, 2010
12:58 pm
Nope never heard of it
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
12:59 pm
wawel78-
Well, you could also argue that it didn’t, but Strass left with men on second and third with the score tied at 0-0.
Barnacle Bill Bavasi
June 30th, 2010
12:59 pm
Minor has 109 strikeouts in 87 innings. He’s not trade bait.
KennyP
June 30th, 2010
1:01 pm
the Kemp thing is interesting – i wonder what is going on there (noone seems to know). Im thinking it would take a Venters or Medlen to get him though – they want a good starter that can go out there now i think and i doubt they would take Lowe.
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
1:02 pm
Mark-
I’d rather have the native Atlantan Dexter Fowler who was demoted by the Rockies last month and they also need pitching. They are a sub .500 team when Jimenez does not pitch.
tampadawg86
June 30th, 2010
1:04 pm
Mark Bradley,
I’m sorry but you have no idea what your talking about man. B.J is horrible he has no step in his hussle at all. I’m a season ticket holder for the Tampa Bay Rays and we can’t stand him down here. He is a ME player!!! He’s a great guy actually off the field which is why it has taken awhile for his teammates to step up to him. And actually Evan Longoria is one of his Best friends on the team. B.J is a cancer and Atlanta needs to stay far away from this guy. He is andrew when andrew sucked and we wanted to run him out of Atlanta. You might need a new job after this blog!
Tech Sucks
June 30th, 2010
1:04 pm
No thanks. Guy is a PITA.. Not worth it.
JDA
June 30th, 2010
1:04 pm
@thickfreak…it was 2-0 when stras left the game.
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
1:04 pm
Barnacle-
I agree, the org seems very high on him – probably see a young Glavine in his skill set, but more velocity with the fastball.
F-105 Thunderchief
June 30th, 2010
1:04 pm
OK, yeah, I see Willingham has averaged about 20 dingers over the past 5-6 years. Not a big bat, but big enough.
chop
June 30th, 2010
1:05 pm
yes, it was 2-0 when stras left the game.
Ted M
June 30th, 2010
1:05 pm
After batting .340 in 27 games at Triple-A, Fowler returned to the starting lineup Tuesday, hitting leadoff.
Jo-Bu
June 30th, 2010
1:05 pm
Upton doesn’t have the make-up of an Atlanta Brave in my opinion. We don’t need a (young) Barry Bonds-type in this clubhouse.
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
1:05 pm
JDA-
My bad, but they still blew 3 leads against the lowly Baltimores.
tony austin
June 30th, 2010
1:07 pm
Not even maybe on Upton.
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
1:07 pm
Ted M-
Thanx, didn’t know they brought him back up. Should’ve never demoted IMO.
Ted M
June 30th, 2010
1:07 pm
I found out what’s up w/Kemp and Torre. Kemp got picked second base by the Angel and that really pissed off torre for some reason. Torre benched him for 3 games because of that. Seems extreme.
JDA
June 30th, 2010
1:08 pm
Also, re: Nats I doubt we will trade with Kasten in our own division. Bring on Dexter Fowler and another Starter…Derek Load is not gonna cut it in the second half.
jdubb
June 30th, 2010
1:09 pm
Some blatant plagarism for you…..this is how the locl fans of the Rays feel about this guy. Why would Bobby need that in his last year – this guy seems like a worse version of Yunel!
“Upton has been a tease for 8 years. Drafted at #2 in 2002. Reached the majors with expectations through the roof. Failed miserably. This is the guy who set records in numbers of errors in the minors. He has always been a headcase. An absolute failure mentally.
He’s an absolutely incredible physical specimen. Unparalleled almost. However, his mental incapacities handcuff him too much. He’s a lost cause. A disappointment since the day he stepped on the Trop turf.
Time to get rid of him and try to recover anything we can. If we could trade Upton and any combination of Bartlett/Shields/Pena for someone like Miguel Cabrera (pipe dream, but he’s the best hitter in the league, and has been for years – look it up if you don’t believe me) or Nick Markakis or David Dejesus or Billy Butler…. someone with high OBP, this team could turn everything around.”
Ted M
June 30th, 2010
1:09 pm
thickfreakness – yep I agree – He really did tear up triple-A tho.
Brave4life-1995 all over again
June 30th, 2010
1:10 pm
Upton has 24 SB, so he would be a HUGE threat to run on the bases which we haven’t had since furcal. He also has some pop with 7 HR , maybe a little change in scenery would do him some good. I really font think that the Rays would even pull the plug in Upton unless they get a intriguing offer. They have solid pitching but i think that Upton may cost us Freeman, since crawford might be headed out after this year.
gcs
June 30th, 2010
1:10 pm
You forgot something in your “worst-case scenario”: Upton fizzles and the Braves are out three prospects who go on to be key contributors for the Rays and lead them to first place (Texas anyone?).
.
BravesFan
June 30th, 2010
1:10 pm
I don’t want him. Doesn’t hustle enough.
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
1:10 pm
JDA-
I don’t think trading with the Braves is a problem for the Nats if they get talented young pitching. I bet their plan to be competitive is 2012 and Willingham may not even be in the Division in 2012.
jod
June 30th, 2010
1:12 pm
Ahhh… I see the good ole boy anti escobar train has pulled on. Must be those blonde tips, or is it something else…
Runnin
June 30th, 2010
1:13 pm
I hope they pay you extra Bradley. You deserve it.
Brave4life-1995 all over again
June 30th, 2010
1:13 pm
I would LOVE to have willingham on this team and with that great OBP of his. The pressure on McCann and Glaus would decrease, and we will add a guy who has some pop. If Frank Wren wants him he better get him NOW, lets try to run away with his division. .5 game leads make me nervous every other day.
BaseballBuff
June 30th, 2010
1:14 pm
Bradley, you’re nuts if you really think that. All you’re doing is stirring up the muck to generate blogs (it apparently worked with me). Upton’s loafing on an outfield play tells me all I want to know about him. Furthermore, his current numbers don’t justify taking a chance on him. Good for Evan Longoria for having the stones to tell Upton what he thought.
Puck
June 30th, 2010
1:14 pm
One thing I didn’t see in a quick scan of all this:
Upton is currently blocking Desmond Jennings who was recently rated the #5 prospect in all MiLB by ESPN’s Keith Law. Jennings is a burner who’ll be up this year – that is why TB would be willing to trade Upton even though they are competing for a Playoff spot this year.
I like Upton and especially his .968 OPS against LHPs( the .601 against RHPs not so much) Upton has versatility – having played 2B, SS, and CF during his MLB career – he’s not someone who’d be stuck @ CF and if his bat doesn’t play, then he’s stuck on the bench.
The problem? I have no idea what TB would be looking for. After a sterling 1st full season in MLB, Upton has continuously disappointed to the point where his OPS is worse than Francoeur’s, but the still present upside is obvious. What would TB be asking for? If they stick to MLB players, then I’d think a reliever, but Venters (too good for Upton to command), Saito (age), and Wagner (age, retirement) are prolly off the table from both sides. 1B could also use an upgrade, since Carlos Pena’s has battling the Mendoza Line all year. For us, Glaus and Freeman are off the table, since Upton simply isn’t good enough to command them either. I also wouldn’t be willing to commit any of the younger prospects (Teheran, Viscaino, Delgado, Minor), since, once again, I just don’t see Upton as being a definite impact. So, where is the middle ground? Would a package with some combination of Moylan, Resop, Chavez, Michael Dunn, Scott Proctor, JJ Hoover, and even Mychal Jones get the job done? It could, but what does TB really see Upton’s value as?
John
June 30th, 2010
1:14 pm
The Braves need to look into trying to get Andruw Jones from the Chicago White Sox or get Jermaine Dye.
JDA
June 30th, 2010
1:14 pm
@thickfreak
I can get on board with that, but…Willingham really isnt someone that is a difference maker. If we give up Dunn and a Rome prospect maybe.
Speaking of Dunn and the Nats….I’d like to have Adam Dunn….Glaus to 3rd and Chipper to LF with Diaz spelling Chipper 1 of 3 or 4 days.
Bravos
June 30th, 2010
1:17 pm
Why not Brandon Boggs he was a Great East Cobb, Ga Tech Talent, Now the Rangers are wasting his talent in Triple -A
thickfreakness
June 30th, 2010
1:17 pm
Upton has no value to the Braves as they are presently constructed. We need a RH power corner outfielder and he is currently patrolling LF for the team in town.
Time
June 30th, 2010
1:17 pm
Upton would be a nice pickup. Especially since you’d have options with him going forward that don’t require a long term deal. Still, Corey Hart has to be the favorite. Big time prospect a few years back. Took him longer than most expected, but he is mashing now. He’s a guy I’d trade for in a heartbeat and lock him up.
Another guy not mentioned who I think will be available at the deadline. Houston’s Carlos Lee. If it takes Minor to get him I’d do it. Outside of Wainwright, the Braves have had pretty good success dealing away prospects that never pan out to be much of anything.