The San Diego Padres' trade for Matt Kemp apparently hasn't deterred them from trying to land another All-Star outfielder.
General manager A.J. Preller has been aggressive this offseason – striking out on offers to Pablo Sandoval and Yasmany Tomas – and the Padres reportedly remain one of the clubs pursuing Atlanta Braves left fielder Justin Upton, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Upton's future with the Braves has been an intriguing storyline this offseason. Atlanta is poised for a rebuild and already made a pair of moves in the outfield, trading away Jason Heyward and signing Nick Markakis.
With one year, $14.5 million remaining on his current deal and no extension talks in sight, Upton has generated no shortage of suitors. The outfield starved Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers and Padres were all teams reportedly eyeing the two-time All-Star prior to the winter meetings.
The Padres outfield currently projects to be occupied by Will Venable, Seth Smith and Kemp, while Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin will also be vying for playing time.
2014 Season:
Player | GP | HR | RBI | AVG/OBP/SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|
Upton | 154 | 29 | 102 | .270/.342/.491 |
Kemp | 150 | 25 | 89 | .287/.346/.506 |
Venable | 146 | 8 | 33 | .224/.288/.325 |
Smith | 136 | 12 | 48 | .266/.367/.440 |
Maybin | 95 | 1 | 15 | .235/.290/.331 |
Quentin | 50 | 4 | 18 | .177/.284/.315 |
Upton's no-trade list contains four teams, but the Padres are not on the list.