Justin Upton Is A Good Fit In San Diego

Justin Upton was this close to being traded to the Seattle Mariners. But, Kevin Towers’ arch enemy got in the way.

After struggling to find a trade partner for Jake Peavy in 2009, because Peavy had a no-trade clause, the no-trade clause came back to snake bite KT in the butt, once again.

This time that villain of a no-trade clause came and worked its way through Justin Upton, who vetoed the trade to the Mariners because the Mariners are one of a few teams listed on Upton’s no-trade clause.

September 3, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton (10) celebrates after scoring a run against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at AT

Well, this now means Justin Upton is STILL available, and I’m crossing my fingers hoping the Padres would acquire the outfielder, that is of course, if the Padres are not on his no-trade list.

However, the price for Upton is pretty hefty.

Just ask the Mariners who readied a package of some of its top flight prospects for Upton. A package that included Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor and a top pitching prospect.

I know the Padres have the prospects it takes to entice Towers to send the two-time All-Star outfielder to San Diego.I would have to say Jedd Gyrko, Casey Kelly, Keyvius Sampson and Rymer Liriano have to be included in almost any package for Upton.

If the Padres can get Upton without losing Headley then that would be ideal.

The question then becomes, “is it worth depleting the Padres’ Minor League system for Upton?”  The rational part of me says ‘heck no!’ but the irrational part says ‘Let’s do it!’

With Upton, the Padres will have who I believe is a five-tool player. By the way, have you seen Upton’s numbers at Petco Park? They are flat-out ridiculous.  Now with the fences moved-in, it would be awfully scary to see the damage Upton can do.

As it stands today, here is how Upton fairs at the once pitching haven known as Petco Park:

Also, imagine this…. Upton batting in the same lineup as Carlos Quentin and Headley.  That’s a three headed monster right there. I’d stack those three  up against the Dodgers trio of  Adrian Gonzalez,  Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp any day.

A trade for Upton would also rid the right-field platoon of Will Venable and Chris Denorfia. I like both players, but I’m just being real, Upton would be a big upgrade in right-field to what we have now. Upton is not just good with the bat, his glove is pretty nice too, not to mention his cannon of a right-arm.

As good as Upton is, he still hasn’t hit his prime. He is barely going to turn 26 in August so he definitely has a lot of good baseball in him.

Fans in San Diego are tired of “waiting for next year” and I believe with Upton, we  won’t have to “wait for next year,” we would be an instant contender.

Padres general manager Josh Byrnes has publicly said he probably is finished adding  starting pitching, so why not add a bat then?

The fans, including myself, have been disappointed with the way the Padres’ off-season has shaken out. All can be forgiving with the acquisition of Upton.

Now comes the question: “is it worth depleting our farm system for Upton?”

I am not so sure, but if the Padres were to give up any or all of its top prospects for Upton, I won’t be mad at them at all. The only problem I see is that if you really want to trade within the division?

I would only trade for Upton though if the Padres’ brass knows they can financially lock him and Headley up to long term deals. I really, really doubt they can but “supposedly” the new ownership group has money to spend so you never know.

This is just a thought.. Let me know what you think  in the comments box below. Would you like to see Justin Upton in a Friars uniform?