B.J. Upton has officially declined the Rays’ qualifying offer, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The centerfielder was widely expected to turn down the one-year, $13.3MM offer, putting the Rays in position to pick up a compensatory draft pick.
Now that Upton is officially off the books, the Rays may now use the new found freedom to pursue B.J.’s younger brother, Justin Upton. Tampa Bay is obviously working with a pitching surplus and could use James Shields, David Price, or Jeremy Hellickson to get such a deal done.
Let the Justin Upton to Tampa trade rumours commence.
Imagine how cool would be if a team signs B.J and trades for Justin…
Even better? the Diamondbacks sign BJ Upton and the Rays trade for Justin Upton.
is upton and bauer not enough for price? it’s a good start at the least.
It’s enough for Price, but is Price alone better than say, Andrus/Olt, Martin< Perez AND Bauer to Arizona? For me its a yes, for Towers, who knows.
There’s somewhere between little and no chance that Arizona gives up BOTH Upton and Bauer for Price. AZ is looking for an impact player like Price for Upton alone. The price of acquiring Bauer from AZ is probably even higher than the price for Upton since, despite his 2 week hiccup last year, Bauer is still prjected to be a legitimate early-Lincecum type ace, and to be there within the next year or two.
I still see Bauer going to Washington for Anthony Rendon.
This would be the most hilarious thing ever if they let BJ go and end up trading for Justin….
Pitching has kept this team afloat. Why mess with that formula by trading starters?
Keeping a team afloat is not enough. Their bats were so inconsistent that they could never make up ground. Granted, Longo healthy all year would have made a big difference, but they really need another consistent hitter to pair with Longo (and hopefully Zobrist again).