Nationals Interested In B.J. Upton?

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline starting to appear on the horizon, the rumor mill starts to grind a little harder and according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, a possible trade of B.J. Upton to the Washington Nationals could provide extra grist.

As for the Nats, they continue to dream of a trade for the Rays’ B.J. Upton, who is from the same part of Virginia as the team’s biggest star, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

It’s difficult to imagine the Rays trading Upton and promoting Desmond Jennings to replace him if they are in contention. But Upton is a free agent after the 2012 season, and the Rays are always thinking of ways to get cheaper and better.

At this point in the season, the phrase “if they are in contention” should almost be implied since more than half of the teams in the league are within five games their division lead. But Upton is eligible for arbitration after the season and the Rays have always been a frugal franchise, so they could try to get as much value for him as possible. Then again, with Upton hitting just .228, they could be able to get him for a pretty good price next season. Whether they feel like he’s willing to re-sign beyond that, or if they even want him around after that, could determine if Upton’s on the trading block.

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by Marcas Grant

Marcas Grant graduated from the University of Southern California in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism. For the past decade, Marcas's love of sports and media has taken him up and down the Golden State. He has worked from Los Angeles to Stockton and nearly everywhere in between - doing everything from freelance reporting to play-by-play announcing.