Thursday July 28, 2011
Rob Bland (Intern- MLB Reports): Trade Deadline. More speculation. Teams out of the playoff race sending their valuable veterans to contending teams for prospects. This is a time of year that baseball journalists make a living out of contemplating where there is a fit. The Tampa Bay Rays have quite a decision to make as to what to do with the frustrating yet ultra-talented Melvin “BJ” Upton. Upton was the 2ndoverall pick in the 2002 MLB draft, and quickly rose through the ranks with the Rays. In his first full season in 2007, he belted 24 home runs and stole 22 bases while maintaining an OPS of .894. Every season since that breakout year, his BABIP has dropped, and he has been unable to replicate the type of power he previously displayed. Upton is a good fielder in center field and a good base runner, with the ability to steal 30-40 bases a year. This year, Upton has struggled at the Trop, where he is hitting .171/.250/.312/.562. On the road, the numbers are much better at .284/.364/.481/.845.
The Rays would be wise to move B.J. Upton now as they could net a tremendous return from a team who may be desperate to make a push for the playoffs. There have been close to a dozen teams who have at least called to check in on GM Andrew Friedman’s asking price.
Here are five teams who would be wise to make a big push for the outfielder:
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are looking to repeat as World Series Champs and look poised to make the postseason, even with one of the worst offenses in baseball. They do have RHP Zach Wheeler ranked as MLB.com’s preseason #33 prospect. The 2009 1st rounder has done very well this year in the California League, but does need to refine command. Offering Wheeler would probably force the Rays to make the deal, however, the Giants seem to be looking at Carlos Beltran and Colby Rasmus as their main targets.** (NOTE: Since preparing this article, Rasmus has been traded to the Jays and Beltran appears to be on the move to San Francisco. It is a likely safe bet that Upton is not headed anytime soon to San Francisco.)
Atlanta Braves
With none of their regular outfielders hitting over .234, the Braves are getting pretty desperate for help. Even though they are currently three games up in the wild card race in the National League, they need to bolster their line-up in order to do some damage in the playoffs. The Braves have a ton of pitching prospects to get the deal done. Arodys Vizcaino is one of these top prospects, who has shot up to AAA from A-ball this season. With great command and a plus fastball and curve, Vizcaino could be used to bring Upton to Atlanta.
Philadelphia Phillies
With the aging Raul Ibanez and youngster Dom Brown struggling to hit in the corner outfield spots, Upton could be ushered in to fill one of those spots. Incumbent Shane Victorino likely wouldn’t be moved from center, but could shift to left for Upton. I could actually see the Phillies going with a young athletic outfield of Victorino, Upton and Brown. Ibanez then becomes a decent weapon off the bench. Still only 19 years old, Jonathan Singleton has drawn a lot of interest from other teams. The Phillies have stated they will not move Singleton for Beltran, but I could see it happening with Upton. Singleton has an advanced approach at the plate, and as he matures, will surely hit for power.
Cleveland Indians
With Grady Sizemore seemingly always on the disabled list, Cleveland needs to shore up the center of their outfield. Michael Brantley has performed admirably, however if they really want to contend in the shaky AL Central, they need a difference maker. Shin Soo Choo has underperformed this year and with the addition of Upton, I can see him being able to turn his season around. Joe Gardner, a right-handed pitching prospect could be moved in this deal. Gardner is an extreme groundball pitcher that needs work on secondary pitches, but along with Cord Phelps, a 2B/3B who played 19 games with the Indians this year, a deal could be struck.
Pitsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ string of losing seasons could soon be over, and they’re in the hunt for the NL Central crown. Only a game back, they may make a push for a complement to Andrew McCutchen in the outfield. With Jose Tabata struggling and spending time in AAA, Upton to play right field for the Pirates could be a great idea. Starling Marte, a speedy outfielder who may remind some a bit of Upton, could be dangled with an arm such as Colton Cain, a lefty who can throw in the mid 90s but needs work on his secondary stuff.
The most likely spot for Upton to land is Philadelphia. With the package that Philly could put together to obtain him, they are capable of pulling the trigger. If the Pirates do make a move, and don’t make the playoffs, they risk possibly setting the organization back again, as rushing their success could cause a tremendous fallout. Slow and steady usually wins the race. Hopefully the Pirates remember that.
***Today’s feature was prepared by our Intern, Rob Bland. Please feel free to leave comments and to welcome Rob aboard. You can also follow Rob on Twitter.***
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Editor’s Note: The Giants acquisition of Carlos Beltran looks to be complete. As proposed last week on the Reports, Carlos Beltran is on the move from the Mets to the Giants in exchange for top Giants pitching prospect Zack Wheeler. The trade simply needs a rubber stamp, as Beltran needs to go through the formality of waiving his no-trade clause. His agent, Scott Boras, worked diligently to land Beltran with a NL contending team and did not disappoint with the trade to San Francisco. The 21-year old Wheeler was the 6th overall pick in the 2009 draft. The Giants gave up the top pitcher in their system, no doubt. But with a major league rotation consisting of Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Barry Zito, Ryan Vogelsong and Jonathan Sanchez on the mend, the Giants could afford to part with pitching to acquire hitting. The Mets are also sending $4 million dollars of salary relief to the Giants as further consideration in obtaining a top prospect back. Expect Beltran to be the middle-of-the-order slugger the Giants so desperately crave, especially with top hitting catcher Buster Posey out for the year. I can see Beltran carrying the Giants into the playoffs and advancing quite far, given his previous playoffs heroics and incentive to land one more big free agency contract in the offseason. Beltran is also likely to re-sign with the Giants, so this is a win-win all around. The Giants get run production this year and in possible future years and the Mets add a much needed building block for their future which just got brighter.
