The Pirates enter the All-Star break atop the Central Division with a 48-37 record and a legitimate opportunity to remain competitive in the second half. Pittsburgh, led by the MVP-esque play of Andrew McCutchen and strong pitching from its starting rotation, plans to be a buyer with the trade deadline quickly approaching.
As mentioned on MLBTR earlier today, the Pirates have expressed interest in Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin and Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton, among others. MLBTR's Zach Links suggests acquiring Quentin would require Pittsburgh to part with a lesser package of prospects whereas adding Upton to its outfield would demand a series of quality prospects given his ability and that he is under team control through 2015.
The question for the Pirates becomes whether they will take a conservative approach at the trade deadline like last season or go all in by making a splash at the end of the month with a star player like Upton.
Headley over Upton by a nose, and only because he provides more versatility as far as positions he can play. Both will cost quite a bit in return, of course.
Headley can only play 3B really. He was horrible in LF. He is an excellent third baseman though.
Upton, helps now and in the future but most costly,.
if they wanna take a risk go for carlos q. im rooting for the pirates as a dodgers fan.
Greinke
They need someone to replace Bedard since he is fading fast
I know why these types of polls are put on sites, but I don’t care for them. Of course I want Upton of all the options, but not if I have to give up Cole, Marte and Owens as a jumping off point.
To me the more logical addition is Victorino. He should be had for a lot less than either Quentin or Upton. With Marte coming up after the break we don’t need a huge bat, just an upgrade. I would have no issue giving up a Justin Wilson or a Jeff Locke for Victorino.
Do you want Upton for free then? You have to be realistic.
I don’t think it is wanting him for free, but rather not wanting to give up prospects who are ML ready. I’m guessing most Pirates fans would be far more inclined to part with Tallion and Bell over Cole and Marte.
not sure that i agree that taillon is that far behind cole… pirates are being slow with him but he’s pretty advanced himself
And he’s only 19. I think that Marte *could* be an Upton (he’s adapted immediately at every level he’s played at) and you want to throw in two other studs? No thanks. We’ll take our chances.
Yeah Marte isn’t Upton. He’s got some nice potential, but not on the same level as Justin Upton.
i can see marte having an upton ceiling… if you take out the crazy 2011 numbers they aren’t that unattainable
Oh I agree Tallion is pretty advanced, but Cole is more so, and a safer bet sooner.
i disagree… taillon has better control and command of his fastball and a better breaking ball, thus far cole has gotten by on the fact that guys can’t catch up to his fastball and lower level players don’t have plate discipline so they swing at the balls a foot off the plate… won’t work in the big leagues, i see cole as having an aj burnett ceiling ( control all over the place but good enough stuff to harness it and be serviceable most years ) and his floor as a set up man in the mold of farnsworth ( flame thrower with control issues that keep him from closing ) … taillon has a justin verlander ceiling and a mid rotation starter floor, in any other organization taillon would be in AA and in some he would be in AAA, the pirates have one of the slower systems
” I would have no issue giving up a Justin Wilson or a Jeff Locke for Victorino.”
Locke is OK. The Pirates need to keep Wilson.
Willingham would be great for the Pirates… But my Twins will keep him!
Willingham would make the most sense for Pittsburgh as he won’t cost nearly as much as Upton, and won’t be a FA after the season like Quentin. Twins are crazy though if they hang on to Willingham if they get a fair offer.
He is the only Twin besides Plouffe who can hit it out of Target Field. We havent had a RH power bat in years. Has become a big fan favorite in Minny and has a 3yr/21M deal. Hitting 270 career high. Cuddyer and his big money has like 12 dongs
Still no reason to keep Willingham, they are a couple years away from contending again, and he’s probably their best trade chip.
in the age of free agency you’re always two checks and 12 zeroes away from contending, they could contend next year pretty easily if they are healthy and fill a couple holes in the rotation
By a couple you mean 5 ? The Twins have very little immediate help in their minors, particularly with their pitching. They really need to add three starters, but the problem is they don’t need back of the rotation guys, they need front of the rotation guys. They also need to add at least 1-2 bats and a couple guys at the back of their pen. They simply can’t do that all in free agency. They should look to trade Willingham and Span (as well as a few other lesser guys) and restock that system.
that’s pretty extreme… their lineup is solid with willingham, span, morneau, mauer, doumit making up the meat of it plus revere will get better… they don’t need 3 starters through free agency they just need their bottom of the rotation guys to be consistent and healthy, they need one or two starters and if liriano is back they have a near ace… just because a team is losing games doesn’t mean they need to overhaul the roster minor tweaks fix a lot of issues
I voted Victorino too
They can get Liriano cheap… He might screw up the stretch drive tho. lol
Shane Victorino, as he would be strictly a rental.
agree, rental player for a much lower cost, plus he’s a pain in the rear at the plate in a playoff setting
It’s gotta be Upton. He, McCutchen, and Pedro Alvarez would have the makings of a dangerous lineup. Add in that they would all be controlled through 2015, and he’s the best fit.
Quentin, Victorino, Grienke, and Hamels are 1yr rentals. And Headley’s value is in the fact that his bat will improve outside of Petco.
Alvarez is only dangerous during the day vs. RHP.
I was looking up Pedro’s stats the other day and was amazed to see that he’s a .300 hitter during day games and like .198 during night games. I did a sampling of other major league hitters and didn’t find anyone who had nearly that big of a split between day and night games. Maybe the kid needs to have his eyes checked because he’s definitely not seeing the ball well at night.
I voted Victorino because Quentin’s defense is bad and Upton would cost a lot in terms of prospects. Taillon, Marte, ect. I think Victorino could save the Pirates pitchers from giving up a few more runs then they should. I’m sure every Pirate fan wants Upton but what fan wouldn’t? Haha.
Victorino or Quentin wouldn’t cost as much as Upton would so they could get one of them and some one else if needed be and spare their prospects.
I agree. No reason to lose your mind and decimate your farm system. Plus, in case no-one’s noticed, the Pirates’ offense has finally come around. #1 in MLB since 1 June. Quentin’s defense is terrible and wouldn’t resign in Pittsburgh. Upton has clubhouse issues that wouldn’t be jive with the manager because Hurdle builds teams with chemistry. You don’t need a 3B anymore. Victorino on the cheap is the way to go.
Quentin will still cost a couple good prospects. Probably something like Robbie Grossman, Owens, and one other lesser prospect. No its not the premium guys, but still a couple 2nd tier guys for only two months of a rental.
I haven’t noticed Quentin’s defense hurt the Padres a single time this year. If fact, he’s made a few good plays. I don’t understand all the talk about Quentin’s defense being bad.
you’re right, 2011 and 2012 his defense has actually been solid ( 2.7 uzr fairly far above average ) … 2009/2010 he was one of the worst defenders in the big leagues, perhaps due to playing hurt
UZR fluctuates like crazy. It’s an extremely flawed statistic and not a great way to judge a players defense.
the range portion of it isn’t… and it doesn’t fluctuate over long periods of time it fluctuates over short periods of time… 2 year spans are pretty reliable but the range portion is derived from a bunch of dots on a field print out split into sections, its the purest judge of range available to us, the naked eye lies, the naked eye remembers the diving catch and forgets the stumble at the beginning of the play and remembers the ball lost in the sun while forgetting the running catch far out of the player’s normal zone
Sorry, but the statistic doesn’t mean much to me. All parks don’t play the same and every player doesn’t experience the same balls hit to them. The perfect example is what Coors does to UZR’s. The thin air and huge outfield makes every outfielder seem like they have little range. Fowler and Gonzalez both have a ton of range, but consistently have poor UZR. The statistic is flawed and in my opinion not a good way to judge a players defense.
better than fielding percentage… flawed yes but still the best we have
The only way to accurately judge defense is to look at everything. Looking at FPCT or UZR by itself is worthless. Look at both and add scouts eyes to the equation and you have a much better idea.
uzr incorporates fielding percentage and range… so you could leave fielding percentage out and just go with uzr and scouts eyes but for those of you that don’t know scouts… uzr is the best thing you got… fielding percentage is misleading because guys with more range make more errors by simple law of averages, they make more plays therefore make more errors, pedro alvarez is a good example of that this year, he makes a lot of errors but he also gets to a ton of balls that no other 3B is getting to so by fielding percentage he’s a bad defender but by uzr he’s a great defender, by scout’s eyes ( mine anyway ) he’s a great defender… fielding percentage is lying
I voted Quentin mostly because of the lesser prospects package. I really, really want to see Cole and Taillon pitching together at PNC Park one day. Obviously, one of them is going in a deal for Upton…but can admit to dreaming of an outfield of Cutch, Upton, and Marte.
victorino from that list, given the likely prices that each would command… I’d much rather try and swing a strong SP, like greinke, shields, garza, or dempster as all of them would be strong upgrades over Bedard or Correa, leaving a very strong 1-4 group of SP’s
Pirates need two things in my mind, an OF who can hit lead off and have an average OBP and a starting pitcher. Now, I think the two best candidates at this time would be Victorino and Garza. You have to consider what you want to give up for a shot at glory this year. No way you deal Cole and I’d be hesitant to trade Taillon or Hanson. Marte is okay to be traded if you got Upton. What we really need is Tabata to find his footing and play to his ability and for one of our Indy starting pitchers to replace Bedard. We are not riding solely on Cutch but on all the guys as they are all producing somehow, offensively or defensively. If Cutch and Pedro stay consistent and the rest fill in the gaps, we run away with the division. But the SP does still concern me and think it needs addressed.
Span is available too
Any way we can avoid trading Cole, Taillion or Heredia by sending Hanrahan somewhere in a three way trade instead? Lincoln / Grilli look like they are ready to close games for the Bucs…
The Pirates can not and will not trade Hanrahan. Not during the season anyway. You can’t trade a primere closer in the middle of a pennant race. Everyone seems to think that Grilli and Lincoln can handle closing…maybe they can, maybe they can’t. I think the Pirates are safer not making any moves than trading Hanrahan.
something not mentioned yet is the fact that we have cutch and marte long term… that’s center and right so adding upton isn’t necessary long term, finding a free agent left fielder isn’t that difficult and that fills up the outfield, of course if they would take marte, presley and tabata for upton i’d do that, basically give up quantity and projection for proven production… wouldn’t include any of my top arms though
Why would the D’backs trade 24 year old upton ? Something doesn’t smell right there … I think this has raised huge red flags for gm’s like the other post said. Looks like they are trying to sell high before he slides into obscurity !
trading a star caliber player or two is the quickest way to get an influx of young talent… speeds up the rebuilding process, not sure that the dbacks really need to do that but maybe that’s what they are thinking
trust me, Im not saying this just because im a Dback fan but they wont be trading him. They are just trying to see if a team offers them a god-like package, if so they may consider it, if not they keep him, they are in no rush.
There’s your truth. They’re looking to trade him because there seems to be some trouble in the clubhouse and he and Drew have angered the owner so much that he called them both out in public. I also heard that there’s some friction between him and Gibson.
Not true at all, the “issues” were overblown. Gibson and Upton have a great relationship and Kendrick’s statements about Drew were bad. Upton’s weren’t.
Fair enough, you’re the local fan and so I blew over the article fairly quickly. But I saw his comments as quoted in the article and he didn’t sound too happy about the situation, was “pissed” about not getting to play, and was evasive when asked about Drew. Maybe the columnist was spinning it up but it didn’t sound good and since neither of us are beat friends with members of the Dbacks 25 man so we don’t really know. But whatever: we can agree on this – neither of us want to see this trade happen.
The Dbacks owner seems to dislike Upton. It makes little baseball sense for the Dbacks to trade him. He’s the kind of player you build a team on.
Curious which OF would you replace? I have been following the Pirates the last 3 years or so and I personally don’t think you give up on Prestley quite yet. I think he could turn out to be pretty good. He shows spurts of consistency especially since coming back up. He could be a Cutch light I think not quite as good but has decent tools.
Unless the Pirates offer up Cole, Taillon, Marte and Alvarez I dont see a deal getting done. Arizona will only trade Upton if they get a great package in return, they are in no rush to trade him.
Then they’re not serious about trading him, despite the clubhouse implosion that he’s orchestrated. You’re just throwing out an absurd package that wouldn’t get offered for AZ’s entire roster.
Listen, I assume you aren’t a Dback fan and you aren’t following the situation like I am so here’s what I’ll tell you: 1) That “implosion” was overblown, KT said he’d listen to offers on everyone and Kendrick just said he expects more out of him. The things he said about Drew was where he went too far. He didn’t sound off on Upton. 2) The Dbacks are clearly looking for an overpay, if not they wont trade him. Simple. He’s young and under a reasonable contract until the end of the 2015 season. I know the Pirates wouldn’t ever offer what I listed above which makes my point on how I doubt he goes anywhere at all. Thats what AZ is looking to get and if not they keep him, simple as that.
I am not a Dbacks fan (I am a Jays fan), and I don’t know why they would trade him. But if they did, I doubt it would be to an NL club. It would be a PR hit if he started crushing the ball and you had to play against him regularly. The team I could see going after him is Detroit offering some package based around Castellanos (who is blocked by Cabrera).
I’d love to see the Jays grab him to form the best OF in baseball but I am not really sure if I’d want to give up 4 prospects for Upton.
cabrera is 29, he’ll eventually move back over to first and castellanos has been said to be untouchable… cabrera only has 3 years of what are considered prime years left so castellanos would be a great transition as he starts to decline
You act like 29 is old how old is Chipper?
Not sure I agree with that assessment but that is what is fun about the discussion. I think a deal centering around Taillon and Marte would be prime. No way Pedro or Cole get traded. I think Taillon, Marte, Tabata, and a MLB ready SP would get the deal done, maybe adding in Polanco or Hanson. But I really don’t want to trade Hanson.
Ok, Upton is very valuable. He’s young, has a decent contract, and when he’s on he’s a star. But there’s absolutely no conceivable future where Cole, Taillon, and Marte all leave in a trade for a single player unless he’s the 2009 version of Joey Votto.
Read my reply to the dude below me. I know the Pirates would never give up that package. What I’m saying is AZ is in no rush to trade him and unless they get that type of return he wont be going anywhere. And BTW, Upton would be the future.
You didn’t reply until after I pressed the post button.
As for Upton being the future… I have no clue what that means in the context of this conversation. In general though, I have a hard time believing in Upton as a player when his OPS+ is sub 100 after his breakout season.
Don’t you think they ought to go ahead and throw in McCutchen there too? Let’s try to live in reality here, just a little.
Upton is a guy who would be there long term as their pieces developed, so I picked him.
If they’re looking for a short term solution? Victorino would be a good fit.
Agreed. Not having his best year but would probably be an upgrade and not worth a whole lot. Doubt he would sign here long term though so no major prospects in the trade.
They’d have to trade 1/2 of their ‘long term pieces’ to get 3 years/$39 mil worth of Justin Upton. Wait until Ellsbury and Crawford are back and see what the Red Sox want for Ross or Nava or Kalish….
I agree with Zach, as I voted in favor of Quentin. Not only should he cost less than Upton, in terms prospects but in salary as well. What I like about Q is that he’s been consistent throughout his career. Good hitter and average fielder, nothing too complicated, and he’s hit everywhere he’s been. This year he’s having a much better year than either Upton or Victorino.
The thing about Upton which bothers me is that he’s had two disappointing years after signing the big contract. Granted, he’s the better player of the whole group. It appears to me that he’s become very comfortable where he’s at the moment. Quentin will be coming from a team that’s going nowhere into a pennant race and will do just what the Pirates need- hit and play average defense.
Things he’s always done!
Just sayin’ it would be kinda cool to have Cole and Bauer pitch together again. 🙂
The Pirates could reunite Beckett with AJ for the second half run. He would be pretty tough in the NL and getting out of the AL East might rejuvenate him. I think a package of prospects might do it.
I’d love to see them go for a pitcher-Ryan Dempster would be a great fit. They could use a solid, steady pitcher like him to cover for when Bedard goes down (and he will go down, this is part of who he is) and he’d be a rental. Added bonus: He has playoff experience from his time with the Marlins.
They may not want to part with what it would take to get Justin Upton; maybe they could get Cody Ross from Boston, Quentin from San Diego, Willingham from the Twins, or anyone that might be an upgrade at shortstop.
I think no matter who the get, they are going to have to give up some of their upper level pitching.
not trading taillon could be the win of the trading season… he’s the best pitcher in the organization and that includes aj burnett and james mcdonald
Actually I would say it is Herida the kid is only 17 and watching him pitch is amazing. Onlyway they move James Taillon is has the highlight in a Upton deal.
We have some other good pitchers to Kyle Mecpherson last seasons pitcher of the year, Tim Alderson looking prettygood in AA.
Cain and Colt and black the high school arms are pretty good
love heredia too… taillon is special though, we have good pitching depth but taillon isn’t depth taillon is justin verlander waiting to happen
If w dont get an impact OF bat then i am fine with Jones/ Sutton manning RF and having marte play LF and lead off. Go get another arm that you have control over in case the big 3 in AAA are not ready cause both our 4 and 5 spots need filled for next season
marte,walker.Cuth.Alverez.Megee, Jones,
What about the Reds? They could use any of the above players as well. Im crossing my fingers that Victorino ends up in CF for Cincinnati. The need for a competent CF/LF is more dire in cincy than Pitt
Title of this post: “Poll: Which Addition Makes Most Sense For Pirates?”
There’s a key word in there at the end of the title. I’ll give you a hint, it’s not “For”.
For THE Pirates actually. If it was “for Pirates” then CARGHlos Quentin would be the obvious choice.
The Reds have no one left to trade. You sold your souls for Latos.
In order of preference: Upton, Quentin, Victorino, Other, Headley.
Upton seems like the perfect fit. He fits the mould of outfielder that Huntington loves, and the Pirates have enough in the farm system to get a deal done and not completely blow away all the talent in the farm.
I like Quentin a little more than Victorino, just because I think Marte will fill that hole of leadoff hitter in the outfield. I’d like to see a corner outfielder like Quentin that can sit in the cleanup spot and give McCutchen a little more protection than Garrett Jones.
Headley just makes no sense to me for the Pirates at all.
jed lowrie most position of need wont affect chemistry
issue i have with lowrie is that he’s always hit for that power in parks that are very easy on right handed power… the big green monster turns a lot of fly outs into doubles and homers off the wall and then the crawford boxes in houston do the same thing… i have serious doubts that he would hit anywhere near his marks with pnc’s left field
Most of Lowrie’s HRs this year have been as a left handed hitter.
good catch, also 8 were to right field so he doesn’t use the crawford boxes that often
What would the package for Chase Headley or Victorino look like? I can’t imagine it would be as prospect rich as an Upton trade. Is it realistic to think that maybe Headley and Victorino could be obtained for what would be offered in the Upton package?
easily, it would take two premier prospects ( cole, taillon, marte ) for upton and you could probably get both victorino and headley without including any of those three so if you included just one for headley and one for victorino the deals would get done quickly… realistic package for victorino would be something like locke/grossman/throw in that they like and for headley something like hanson/grossman/presley… a little more value there since he’s younger and under control longer
Then I would try for both. It could be an ’08 Brewers situation; getting two guys like that could be better for Pit than Upton and leave them some room to maybe make an upgrade at starting pitcher. Headley is under control through 2015 and is a better than Alverez almost across the board.
all those rentals would have to take less in my opinion to give up those tier prospects would be absurd. With Defense being important i would trade for Upton and put him in LF or RF for his arm plus i think he can hit 40HR a year in pitt. Quentin is to much of a liabilty. Headley is a good bat Alvarez should move to First Bunts for hits are killing us but other then that alvarez is solid at 3rd. Josh Willingham would be a awsome trade to compliment a Cole Hamels,Lariano,Greinke,Garza, But i would Love to see King Felix.
my deal for Felix would be Jameson,Locke,either Bell or Marte plus a Corriea or Meek.
why do you think upton would hit more homers at pnc where righty power goes to die than in the hot air of arizona? i agree about felix hernandez, i’d substitute cole for taillon but a package of cole/locke/marte for hernandez would be good for both clubs … no need to throw in middle swing men or middle relievers though i can’t see seattle wanting them in any deal
“plus i think he can hit 40HR a year in pitt”…and there goes the credibility of your entire post…
Also, including Correia in a potential for King Felix is somehow more offensive than not including him at all.
Geez that would be a fun outfield to watch
Guaranteed Pirates will not trade Cole or Taillon
Quentin for two reasons. If we acquire a bat, it has to be an impact POWER bat. Chase Headley, Victorino don’t give us what we need. The other reason is cost, because no matter what Padres fans think, Quentin is getting traded for a minimal package that doesn’t include any top 50 prospects. Either that, or he’s staying in SD and then leaving on the first thing smoking.
I think we need someone that can get on base at an average or better rate more than we need a power bat. We have two guys (Pedro and Cutch) looking at 30 HR this season. Power is ALWAYS wanted but it is also good to have some guys on base when you hit the long ball. So I will gladly take Quentin if Marte, Presley, or even Tabata can start getting on base more often so we can increase run production. But if we can’t, then go for a contact hitter with at least league average OBP and use some prospects to get an extra SP like Garza. Strengthen the rotation and it makes it much easier to win games with less power, fewer runs, etc.
I’d go after Quentin or Victorino rather than Upton. I’d take Drew off their hands though. He’d be better than Barmes.
Or try for a package of Willingham and Liriano.
The Pirates would be insane to trade Tallion and/or Cole at this point. After years of failed pitching prospects they finally have two looking like they’ll pan out(3 with Locke) and Upton is a great player but like his brother he may never reach that superstar level everyone is anticipating.
Quentin could slot in cheap at the #4/#5 spot and supply some much needed clutch hitting/power to the heart of this lineup. Victorino is right behind him because of his playoff experience. Victorino and McCutch at the top of the lineup would be brutal. I think the better option would be straighten out Presley or Tabby but obviously you can’t control that.
It probably couldn’t hurt to shift Alvarez over to first though and grab Headley, Pedro’s defense is…ugh.
Upton is just unrealistic for them I feel, if they were to go all out I’d rather see them try to acquire Tulo or someone to get Barmes out of that lineup.
alvarez has actually has elite range at third, more than making up for his below average fielding percentage and high error total… nothing to complain about its the defense of alvarez, barmes, walker and mcgehee that have made the pitching look so good
“It probably couldn’t hurt to shift Alvarez over to first though and grab Headley, Pedro’s defense is…ugh.”
He’s hitting well enough lately to make up for it, and Casey McGhee is tearing the cover off the ball at first since the beginning of June. Do you really want to bench one of them?
PITCHING! Erik Bedard is not a MLB pitcher. I think Gorkys ill do just fine out there.
Hernandez is another Tabata speed without baserunning instinct. And average at best defensively.
Are you kidding dude? Hernandez may not be able to swing the stick, but he is regarded as a plus plus defender, the best defender at any position at any level of the Pirates organization. He w
Even as a Reds fan I’d say Headley makes the most sense for the Pirates. He is isn’t going to cost a whole of money and he’d be a great upgrade to the lineup. I’m just curious on who Pittsburgh would be willing to part with because SD is going to want a lot in return.
Of the options given, Upton. As a whole…someone else, namely any starting SS in the Majors besides Clint Barmes. I’d like to see Yunel Escobar, and pie in the sky I’d love to see Starlin Castro.
If you have to give up your top prospects, go after someone bigger than the guys listed and has some team control. Colorado has a washed up season and may provide the power that the Bucs need. Also, Adam Lind and Vlad might be available.
It’s ridiculous to think the Pirates will need/have Cole, Taillon, Appel, and Heredia in the starting rotation one day. They’re will be other Rudy Owens types who come out of nowhere and excel. Who’s to say any of them will be any good? You just never know. I do know Justin Upton is only 24, and as we’ve seen with Pirates players there are ups and downs (Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker). I also know Upton already has 98 career home runs, which is substantially more than any current Pirates player. I don’t know what not to like. Does it take Marte and Taillon? Another prospect, too? Fine. Marte will be 24 in October, so less than a year younger than Upton and Upton already is an established star. The fact that he is available is mind boggling, and hopefully the Pirates can capitalize.
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Justin Upton makes the most sense for the Bucs in the long and short-term. A package of Tabata/Bell/Wilson/Grossman would probably get it done and make sense for both Arizona and Pittsburgh. guys like Cole and Taillon are not required for Upton. Upton is well-regarded, yes, but he really is not that established, is having a down year in a lost D-back’s season, and the D-backs need ML-ready depth.
He’s not well established? He was 4th in MVP voting last year…what more do you want?
Well TJ, what I mean by not “that” established is that I don’t feel Upton has the proven track record year-in and year-out to warrant mortgaging more talent than his perceived value dictates. 4th in the MVP voting last year is nice and all, but has Upton been in that conversation for the last 5 years? No. Will he be in that conversation this year? No. I think my post clearly supports he has value, but what I caution against is overpaying for Upton who has a grand total of 7 HRs on the 2012 season to go along with a .273 batting average. So that’s what I mean by not “that” established. Justin Upton is not, in my opinion, does not have as an “established” career as the likes of a Hunter Pence who might be a fair comparable.
Jameson Tallion, Jose Tabata, and Evan Meek for Justin Upton and cash. Done deal.
That’s not even close to enough. A 29 y/o middle reliever, a 4th outfielder playing so poorly he just got demoted, and a top prospect for a guy who finished 4th in MVP voting last year. Come on.
They should get Morneau. If they agreed to take on most or all of the salary, they wouldn’t have to give up much at all. I’d rather see them risk money they can spare on a guy like Morneau than give up talent they’re going to need for someone like Victorino.
Why not one more crazy trade proposal?
I’d be more then comfortable if the Jays trade Brandon Morrow, Rajai Davis (LF/PR), Casey Jansen and Carlos Villaneuva for Jameson Taillon.
Carlos V is great in the pen as well as a spot starter depth guy, while Morrow gives the Pirates a legit #1/2 guy if he shows he’s healthy, Rajai is a upgrade over sutton in LF for sure and Jansen has been perfect in his role as closer so the Bucco’s could defenitly use him in the 7th or 8th.
I voted Headley, as it’s not apparent that the Pirates really need another outfielder (unless a couple of Marte/Presley/Tabata are also in the trade). The cost to get Upton would be too prohibitive IMO.