For much of the early summer, Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton was a hot topic of discussion, and it wasn’t for his performance on the field.
Upton had been rumored to be available with several teams reportedly interested. However, in late July, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick said that Upton would not be dealt midseason.
Notice that he only covered the season. This offseason could be an entirely different story.
In his Monday blog for ESPN, Buster Olney again brought up Upton, citing rival executives as saying that Upton will likely be offered up for trade this winter.
Upton’s production is way down this year, hitting just 13 HR and 56 RBI after clubbing 31 HR with 88 RBI in 2011. His slash line of .272/.349/.407 is significantly lower than last year’s .289/.369/.529 as well.
Back in early July, Olney opined about whether or not health might have been a factor in the D-Backs’ apparent willingness to discuss a deal involving Upton. Upton has had issues with his left shoulder dating all the way back to 2006.
Still, at just 25 years of age, Upton is a major talent who will draw interest from several teams this offseason.
Here are six teams who could try to put together a package to deal for Upton.