ORLANDO, Fla. -- According a major league baseball source familiar with the situation, there are 'no legs' when it comes to any potential deal involving Arizona outfielder Justin Upton heading to the Red Sox. It is believed Arizona has asked around about potential interest in the 23-year-old, but as of the moment the Sox don't appear to be actively pursuing Upton.
FoxSports.com reported [1] earlier Tuesday that the Red Sox "have already spoken" with the Arizona Diamondbacks to inquire about Upton. In his third full major league season, Upton hit .273/.356/.443/.799 with 17 homers and 69 RBI in 133 games. Despite suffering downturns across the board in his numbers from 2009, the 23-year-old is widely viewed as one of the top young power hitters in the game.
Even so, GM Kevin Towers told USA Today [2] that he was open to listening to offers about any players, including the 2009 All-Star.
"I'm open to listening on anybody," Towers said. "We got more hits on Upton and [Stephen] Drew. They're difficult to move, but sometimes to make your club better, you have to move good players. You never know when a deal might present itself."
The FoxSports.com report noted that the return for Upton would have to be "big," with Arizona seeking at least three pieces: a bat, a back-end reliever and a starter. Upton has five years and $49.5 million remaining on a six-year, $51 million deal he signed in the spring.
For more Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [3].
Links:
[1] http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/Boston-Red-Sox-interested-in-Arizona-Diamondbacks-slugger-Justin-Upton-111610
[2] http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/11/mlb-trade-surprises-justin-and-bj-upton-available-but-not-prince-fielder/1?csp=34
[3] http://www.weei.com/redsox
[4] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox