The Atlanta Braves filled their void in right field with Nick Markakis. They signed the former Baltimore Oriole to a four-year deal after trading Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals. Is the departure of outfielder Justin Upton now imminent?
According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Braves have received over a dozen calls regarding Justin Upton's availability. With so many teams looking for a power-hitting outfielder, this news comes as no surprise, especially since the Braves made it known they were planning to trade their outfielders and have already spoken to teams about a potential deal. The Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics have recently inquired about Upton, but they're of the few.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer questions whether the Reds were one of those phone calls. They're an interesting case because they have a boom-or-bust roster. After an injury plagued 2014 season, the Reds finished 76-86, which was good enough for fourth in the NL Central division. Joey Votto missed most of the year; Brandon Phillips missed over a month; Jay Bruce was playing through a knee issue; Aroldis Chapman missed the first month and a half; and Homer Bailey underwent season-ending surgery in August.
Cincinnati will return a healthy lineup in 2015, including a starting rotation that owned the third best ERA in the majors last season (3.37). The reason Cincinnati is boom-or-bust is because four of their five starters (Johnny Cueto, Alfredo Simon, Mat Latos and Mike Leake) will be free agents after this coming season, which means they'll either stick with the rotation if the season begins promising or conduct a fire sale if it takes a turn for the worse. So if that's their philosophy heading into 2015, why not look to acquire Justin Upton and throw him in left field?
Upton has a $14.5 million salary for 2015 and will be a free agent after that. Fay notes the Reds would likely send either Latos or Leake to Atlanta in such a deal, but as of now nothing has developed. If Upton is put amongst hitters such as Votto, Bruce, Phillips and Todd Frazier, the Reds could have one of the best offenses in the league if they can stay healthy. Also, if they have a good season it wouldn't be out of the question to offer him an extension. Now that the NL Central is extremely competitive with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers and the emergence of the Chicago Cubs, the Reds will need to keep up to stand a chance in the coming years.
However, if Cincinnati is actually interested, it will be no easy task since the previously mentioned teams are all in need of an outfielder. The Orioles lost both Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis in free agency; the Mariners need a formidable corner outfielder to join Austin Jackson; the Athletics are on the verge of trading Brandon Moss after they sent Josh Donaldson to Toronto (their top two power hitters); the Rangers need insurance in case Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder get off to slow starts following their season-ending surgeries; and the Padres are aggressively trying to bolster their outfield and offense after finishing last in the MLB in runs scored (535).
The MLB Winter Meetings will start on Sunday and we might see a few deals occur over the four-day congregation.
