MLB Trade Speculation: Tampa Bay Rays Need to Trade B.J. Upton for Relievers

Perhaps one of the most surprising teams in the first half of the baseball season has been the Tampa Bay Rays.

After reducing their payroll to only $40 million by losing stars like Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena, the Rays have persevered through their 0-8 start and sit at 49-41 in third place in the AL East.

Although the losses of Crawford and Pena were substantial, the Rays' bullpen losses were even greater.

Rafael Soriano, Grant Balfour and Joaquin Benoit were as big of a reason for the Rays' success in 2010 as any other players on the roster.

Their bullpen was the best in team ERA last season with 3.33.

And those three relievers were ranked among the top 10 relievers last season according to ESPN.com.

While the 2011 bullpen has seen outstanding play from closer Kyle Farnsworth, the rest of the bullpen has vastly underperformed and stands out as an area of great need for the Rays.

In the past, the Rays are typically sellers at the trade deadline, dumping salary cap for young prospects.

But the Rays desperately need relief pitching, and I believe B.J. Upton is the player that could help bring in quality relief pitching.

Upton has times where he looks like the All-Star center fielder, like when he went 5-for-10 with two home runs against the Yankees this past weekend. 

But then you look at his home batting average, and he is hitting .174 at Tropicana Field. This is far below the average you want your starting center fielder to put up.

Not to mention the occasional lack of hustle that B.J. shows running down the first base line or when chasing after a ball in the gap. 

At times, Rays fans love him, and then they hate him.

Nevertheless, he is a truly gifted athlete who could really help another playoff contender, so the Rays need to trade him.

Trading Upton would allow the Rays to acquire a solid reliever like Tyler Clippard from the Nationals, along with another good young prospect from their organization.

The Rays are a better team without B.J. Upton and a more improved bullpen. The Rays have depth in the outfield already and could also call up a prospect like Desmond Jennings to take Upton's spot on the roster.

In order for the Rays to stay in the AL playoff race, they are going to have to do something about their bullpen, and Upton may just be the necessary sacrifice.