Two days ago the omniscient Buster Olney tweeted that the Atlanta Braves may be a good trading partner for the talented Arizona 
Diamondbacks outfielder. Olney speculated that a package of Martin Prado and a pitching prospect would be enough to get the younger Upton brother. I agree.
The problem is that the Atlanta Braves do not want to do that. I’m a diehard Braves fan and my first reaction to an Upton trade was that it would make our offense great; it would add more righty-lefty balance and create a lineup that’s downright scary. But, the Braves problem has been inconsistency in the starting rotation, spearheaded by its two young guns, and compounded by Jair Jurrjens’ persistent ineptitude. It has not been the lack of power hitting outfielders.
As for why the D’Backs want to trade Upton, I have my questions. There’s something familiar here. Just as when the Rockies traded Ubaldo Jimenez and the Mariners hoodwinked the Yankees with Michael Pineda, teams do not dangle young and promising players as trade bait without incentive. It makes you wonder. The Diamondbacks claim that the new regime is not in love with Upton, which is understandable in a hetero-normative sense, but outrageous when it comes to baseball production. This is a young man who hit 31 home runs last year and finished fourth in the MVP voting, while carrying an anemic offense for months on end. If the Diamondbacks have World Series aspirations this year they need Justin Upton, or a Justin Upton caliber hitter. That the D’backs don’t think he’s their answer should waive an enormous red flag for potential trade partners.
As for the Braves perspective: they are not interested. Interest may arise this winter, once Chipper makes it (officially) official and Brian McCann and Michael Bourn get their paydays from whoever they sign with. If that bleak a picture of the offense emerges, they might consider. But, for this Braves team, this summer: Not Interested.
The Braves needs as of right now are simple: starting pitching, shortstop, and Dan Uggla. Uggla is in the midst of a 9-90 slide, Andrelton Simmons just broke his pinky, and the pitching is what it is. As far as Simmons, Braves fans can expect him to be out for about 6 weeks. The obvious answer would be Tyler Pastornicky. That the Braves haven’t called him up yet (Jack Wilson is starting tonight) shows that they don’t want Pastornicky manning the spot until Simmons gets back. Bold Prediction: Expect a trade for a Brendan Ryan type in the next 24 hours.
The trade scenarios for Justin Upton require the Braves to give up Major League level production and minor league pitching. I don’t see that happening. Removing Martin Prado from the Braves lineup completely changes the complexion of the team. The Bourne-Prado connection has 215 hits between them, just no one is driving them in. If they deal Prado, the Braves become a team without a top of the order capable of getting on base for anyone to fail to drive in. There’s many sides to the coin, but to think that the Braves undervalue Prado is risible.
David O’Brien, the Braves beat writer who knows more about the team than anyone else in the world and is awesome, tweeted what I believe sums it up well in regards to an Upton-Prado trade.
Huge talent, potential huge headache (Upton) for versatile, terrific team guy/.300 hitter (Prado)? Plus a good young pitcher? No thanks.
Speaking of laughable, Jim Bowden (who somehow convinced ESPN to hire him) suggested that a Jason Heyward for Justin Upton trade may suit the Braves fancy. He mentioned that the Diamondbacks would be getting more years and a cheaper deal out of it, which is exactly why the Braves would never trade their own MVP-to-be for another “MVP-to-be” two years his senior. A Heyward for Upton deal would never happen from a Braves standpoint and I’m surprised that a former GM would make that suggestion. Then again, there is a reason Bowden’s out of a job. (Also, he’s a bad writer.)
The Braves don’t need Upton and they won’t get him. It’s that simple.
Bold Prediction: The Braves will trade for Francisco Liriano. Justin Upton will wind up on the Pirates. Just as I wrote here… sort of.
Stat of the Day: In 2009, Jeremy Affeldt got an MVP vote. Apparently they’re easy to come by.
-Sean Morash
