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Texas Rangers rumors: Justin Upton is on the Rangers radar, apparently, with Joel Sherman writing that the Rangers have inquired on the Atlanta Braves outfielder.
Upton, who Sherman says is "very much being shopped," is owed $14.5 million for 2015, and will be a free agent after the season. While Jon Daniels has said that the Rangers were looking primarily at players who are under team control for at least a couple of seasons, Texas would likely make an exception for Upton, who has been something of JD's white whale in recent years.
Prior to the 2013 season, the Rangers supposedly thought they had a deal in place to acquire Upton in exchange for a package that reportedly included Martin Perez, Mike Olt and Luis Sardinas. The Diamondbacks, however, wanted a shortstop in an Upton deal, and held out for either Jurickson Profar or Elvis Andrus, neither of whom the Rangers were willing to part with. Rumors have swirled that the Rangers then engaged in three-way trade talks, bringing Seattle into the mix in order to get a shortstop for the D-Backs, with Derek Holland potentially going to the M's as part of an Upton trade.
Ultimately, the D-Backs did a three-way deal, but without the Rangers involved, sending Upton to Atlanta in a trade where Martin Prado and Randall Delgado were the primary pieces going back to Arizona.
The Rangers supposedly made a run at Upton during the 2013 season, as well, reportedly offering Matt Garza, Joe Nathan and David Murphy to the Braves for Upton.
Sherman writes that the Braves want a better package for Upton than what they got for Jason Heyward -- Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins went to Atlanta, with Heyward and Jordan Walden going to Atlanta -- and I hesitate to speculate about what sort of package the Rangers would have to part with to top something like that. Still, if Upton really is on the market, I am guessing the Rangers will make a serious run at him once again.
