3:01pm: The White Sox have talked about Kubel and also had talks about Upton earlier in winter, when Diamondbacks asked about Alexei Ramirez, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
2:56pm: The Rangers are not pursuing Kubel at present, a source tells Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
The Diamondbacks are looking to trade an outfielder in the wake of the Cody Ross signing, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jason Kubel is regarded as the outfielder most likely to be moved.
Arizona is still overloaded with outfielders following the Chris Young trade as Ross joins Kubel, Justin Upton, and Gerardo Parra. The club also has prospects Adam Eaton and A.J. Pollock waiting in the wings, giving them a rich surplus that can be parlayed into other areas of need.
Some have wondered if the Rangers could be players for Kubel if they can’t come to terms on a long-rumored deal for Upton. Kubel is set to earn $7.5MM in 2013 with a mutual option for the same amount in 2014, significantly less than the $38.5MM owed to Upton through ’15.
