BJ Upton Trade Rumors: 5 Contenders Who Need a Center Field Upgrade

It feels like the Tampa Bay Rays have been on the verge of trading centerfielder B.J. Upton about a thousand times already. For a variety of different reasons, his name has been popping up in trade rumors for a few years now.

The Rays may actually be serious about trading Upton this season. In fact, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com has noted that Upton is one of many players the Rays could trade in the next two weeks:

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Rays are a fascinating team to watch. Could trade starters (anyone but Price, Moore), relievers, Upton. Looking for young catcher, pitchers

— DKnobler (@DKnobler) July 18, 2012"

Upton is hitting .250 with a .691 OPS this season, but he still has trade value because he's a young hitter with both power and speed. And because he's due to become a free agent at the end of the season, the Rays have incentive to get what they can for him while they can.

They won't be able to demand an arm and a leg for Upton, but they will find interested parties out there if they choose to start shopping him. Plenty of teams could use an upgrade in center field, and Upton is a fascinating option because of his skillset and because of what he did in the playoffs back in 2008.

If the Rays out Upton on the block (if they haven't already, of course), here are five contenders that could give him a look.

Note: All stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

5. Cincinnati Reds

Why They Need a Centerfielder

The Reds had high hopes for Drew Stubbs heading into this season, but he's been a massive disappointment. His nine homers and 18 steals are all well and good, but his .222 batting average and .293 on-base percentage represent steps in the wrong direction.

Dusty Baker has been using Stubbs primarily as a No. 2 hitter this season, and he hasn't exactly fit the profile of a good No. 2 hitter. He's striking out 26.9 percent of the time he comes to the plate this season.

In a perfect world, Stubbs would be Cincinnati's leadoff hitter. Baker tried batting him leadoff earlier this year, but it didn't work out. For the season, Stubbs is hitting .174 with a .436 OPS in 46 leadoff at-bats.

John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer recently wrote that the Reds could be looking to reduce Stubbs' role on the team. If they acquire a new centerfielder, they'll have every excuse to do just that.

Why Upton Makes Sense

Admittedly, Upton and Stubbs are two very similar players. Neither of them is as good as he should be, and they both strike out way too much.

Upton is striking out just as much as Stubbs this season, but he's handled the No. 2 hole a lot better than Stubbs has. Upton has hit .283 with an .813 OPS when he's batted second in Tampa Bay's lineup this season. Stubbs is a .237 hitter with a .740 OPS when he bats second in Cincinnati's lineup.

Upton isn't much of a leadoff hitter, but he's handled the leadoff spot slightly better than Upton has throughout his career. Stubbs is a .246/.323/.376 hitter when batting leadoff. Upton is a .247/.329/.395 hitter when batting leadoff.

I'll grant that Upton wouldn't be a massive upgrade over Stubbs. But he'd be a slight upgrade, and there's a chance playing in Great American Ballpark would give his numbers a huge boost.

4. New York Mets

Why They Need a Centerfielder

For much of the season, rookie centerfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis was making a case for himself as a legitimate NL Rookie of the Year contender.

But as most rookies inevitably do, Nieuwenhuis has hit a wall. He's hitting just .214 with a .668 OPS since the start of June, and he hasn't homered since June 23. A hand injury hasn't made things any easier.

Andres Torres has been seeing more action in center field recently, but he isn't an upgrade over Nieuwenhuis. He's only hitting .226 with a .641 OPS this season.

All told, the Mets have gotten a .304 weighted on-base average (wOBA) from their centerfielders this season, according to FanGraphs. That ranks towards the bottom of the league.

Why Upton Makes Sense

It's debatable whether or not Upton is an upgrade over Nieuwenhuis, but he's certainly an upgrade over Torres. He was great back in 2010, but his 2012 performance is right in line with how he performed in 2011. The Torres the Mets have seen this season is the real Torres.

If Sandy Alderson were to make a deal for Upton, he could make Upton the Mets' everyday centerfielder and transition Nieuwenhuis into a role as sort of roaming outfielder. He could start in all three outfield spots and could be used as a fourth outfielder off the bench. 

The advantage of having Upton in the lineup everyday is that he's a right-handed hitter with power. The Mets only have one of those at the moment, and his name is David Wright.

One thing the Mets could do to make the situation less complicated is deal Nieuwenhuis for Upton straight up. That wouldn't be the worst idea in the world seeing as how Nieuwenhuis' trade value may never be higher than it is right now. And if they like what they see from Upton, they could re-sign him fairly easily.

Just throwing it out there.

3. Washington Nationals

Why They Need a Centerfielder

The Nationals have been using two primary centerfielders this season: Rick Ankiel and Bryce Harper.

Ankiel is now out of the picture, as the Nats designated him for assignment to make room on the roster for Drew Storen.

This leaves Harper and Roger Bernadina to handle center field duties for the Nats, and that's hardly ideal. Bernadina is not a good everyday player, and Harper projects better as a right fielder than he does a centerfielder. He's held his own in center field this season, but he'd be a lot better off in right.

Why Upton Makes Sense

The problem with this idea is that the Nationals have Michael Morse playing every day in right field, and he's not the kind of player who belongs on the bench.

One solution would be to trade Morse for Upton straight up. ESPN's Jim Bowden has reported that that proposal was actually made at one point.

Such a trade would give the Rays a power hitter who's under contract through next season, and it would give the Nationals a chance to move Harper to right while plugging Upton into everyday center field duties.

That would be ideal for them because it would allow them to keep Harper fresh for the stretch run, and they could use Upton's bat at the top of their lineup.

2. Miami Marlins

Why They Need a Center Fielder

I'm definitely stretching the limits of the word "contender" to include the Marlins in this discussion, as they have fallen on hard times in the last six weeks and are probably closer to selling than they are to buying.

But since they're only 6.5 games out in the NL wild card chase, I'm going to allow it.

Per FanGraphs, Marlins centerfielders have posted a .312 wOBA this season, one of the lowest figures in Major League Baseball. Marlins centerfielders also rank 29th in UZR.

Granted, this has a lot to do with Emilio Bonifacio's prolonged stay on the disabled list. He's back healthy now, and he's picked up right where he left off. He's been getting hits and wreaking havoc on the basepaths.

The catch is that Bonifacio is not a true centerfielder. If the Marlins want to boost their postseason chances, it wouldn't hurt to tinker with their center field situation.

Why Upton Makes Sense

Nobody will ever accuse Upton of being a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder, but he's definitely above-average in the field. 

Bonifacio, meanwhile, is well below-average in the field. Per FanGraphs, he's posted a -6.3 UZR in center field this season. 

Given the spaciousness of Marlins Park, the Marlins absolutely need to have a good defensive center fielder. To that end, Upton would be a good get, and he could be open to re-signing with the Marlins after the season is over seeing as how it would afford him to chance to continue his career in the state of Florida.

As for Bonifacio, it wouldn't be hard for the Marlins to find a spot for him. He can play pretty much anywhere. 

One thing Michael Hill could do is open up a spot for Bonifacio at second base by trading Omar Infante, who has been rumored to be on the block (Bob Nightengale of USA Today has the latest on those rumors).

1. Oakland A's

Why They Need a Centerfielder

The A's started the season with Yoenis Cespedes penciled in as their everyday centerfielder, and that was never a good idea to begin with. Cespedes has the athleticism to play center, but he always projected as a better left or right fielder due to his power.

The A's have since come to their senses and transitioned Coco Crisp back into an everyday center field role. He's a far better option than Cespedes because of how much ground he can cover, and goodness knows there's a lot of ground to cover at O.Co Coliseum.

Crisp, however, isn't much of a hitter. He's really come around after a slow start, as he's hitting .278 since the start of June, but he doesn't bring much power to the table. His recent reawakening at the plate should not deter Billy Beane from seeking an upgrade.

Why Upton Makes Sense

Upton isn't a great hitter, but he's a better hitter than Crisp. Upton's .300 wOBA (per FanGraphs) isn't above-average, but at least it's better than Crisp's .287 wOBA.

The big advantage Upton has over Crisp is in the power department. He's going to hit more homers than Crisp this season by a wide margin, and his power would fit well in an A's lineup that has quietly been very powerful over the last few weeks.

And in replacing Crisp with Upton, the A's wouldn't be losing any speed. Upton can cover just as much ground in the outfield, and he has almost as many stolen bases as Crisp does this season.

Beane has more than enough prospects at his disposal to pique Andrew Friedman's interest, and he could follow a trade for Upton by dealing Crisp away to another contender for a missing piece or two. Crisp is signed through 2013, so he has some value out on the trade market.

Or the A's could keep him and use him as a fourth outfielder, a role that suits Crisp well at this stage in his career.

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