The Market For Justin Upton Appears To Be Set

Earlier, MLB Trade Rumors reported that the Mariners and the Diamondbacks agreed on a deal to send talented RF Justin Upton to the Mariners for four young players. Upton proceeded to break the hearts of Mariners fans by rejecting the trade, as the Mariners are one of the four teams he can do that to. Looking at the package, Taijuan Walker, Nick Franklin, Stephen Pryor, and Charlie Furbush, it looks like it’s going to take quite a bit to pry Upton away from Arizona.

Sep. 29, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton (10) stands at bat during the game against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

Sorry Tigers fans, although we suspected this for quite some time, it doesn’t look like the Tigers have the necessary parts.

While I do think that most Tigers fans have come to grips with this reality, it is still a good thing that Upton to this point has rejected the trade. It keeps another potential star player out of the American League pool. Always a good thing if you ask me. The problem is, one of the other major players for Upton is Texas, and it appears that they have plenty to get the enigmatic right fielder.

There are a few things at play here however that I think are interesting.

One, I find it interesting any time a player rejects a trade. It’s clear that Upton’s current team is willing to part with him, and despite Upton’s reluctance to join the Mariners, there has to be some sense of pride on Upton’s part that doesn’t want to be somewhere where they are trying to deal him.

Secondly, Upton’s rejection could simply be an effort on his part to control the terms of the trade. He might truly not want to play in Seattle, and is trying to control where he goes. His future free agency value could be at stake in that park they call Safeco. Or maybe he doesn’t like rain and coffee? He could also be trying to corner Seattle into a longer contract extension for a boatload of money before he accepts a deal.

This is a big cat that got let out of the bag, so it will be interesting to see what happens with Upton.

I’m not sure what the Tigers equivalent here would be. I would have to think that Nick Castellanos, Bruce Rondon, and Drew Smyly would likely be involved. I’m not even sure if Justin Upton would be worth that. Let alone a fourth player.

But wouldn’t it be just like Ilitch and company to swoop in and snag someone in January?

Come to think of it…the Tigers have been really really quiet lately.