Atlanta Braves Quest Complete For Justin Upton

The Atlanta Braves quest to add their second Upton of the off-season is now complete as Justin Upton puts on his new jersey at today's press conference. Frank Wren started the press conference out with this quote, "Little did we know that when we sat in this room and welcomed BJ, we'd have the opportunity to add a second Upton."

Photos from the presser:

VIDEO: New Braves Outfielder Justin Upton Hits Some Monster Home Runs

The days of the Braves not having power from the right side of the plate are long gone. Check out some of the biggest blasts of Upton's career.

MLB Network Video On The Upton Trade

Clubhouse Confidential host Brian Kenny breaks down the Justin Upton trade for the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks on MLB Network. They also discuss Chris Johnson, Martin Prado, and Randall Delgado. Here is there take:

Here is a link to more video of MLB Network discussing the Braves and their new acquisition.

Grit-Gate: The Diamondbacks Reason For Trading Justin Upton

Did the Diamondbacks really trade away an MVP-caliber player because he wasn't gritty enough?

Atlanta Braves Acquire Justin Upton From Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks have traded Justin Upton and Chris Johnson to the Braves in exchange for Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, Zeke Spruill, Nick Ahmed, and Brandon Drury.

Braves Close To Acquiring Justin Upton From Diamondbacks

This might actually be happening folks. Here is a tweet from Ken Rosenthal this morning on the possible deal for Justin Upton between the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Sources: #Braves close to acquiring Justin Upton from #Diamondbacks. Still working through final details.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2013

Holy crap! This is getting really exciting. As far as who the Braves might be sending to Arizona, Rosenthal confirms the earlier Gammons rumor:

Source: Randall Delgado is part of package going from #Braves to #Diamondbacks for Justin Upton.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2013

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Breathe...

Gammons On The Possible Prospect Package

Peter Gammons doesn't tweet a lot, but when he does the Earth trembles. Here is his latest tweet on the subject of a possible Justin Upton trade between the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks:

One voice on Braves package for Upton Delgado, Gilmartin, Spruill

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) January 24, 2013

First impression is "WOW, that's all." I mentioned yesterday that I thought the Braves would do their best not to trade Julio Teheran, and they also seem very hesitant to trade J.R. Graham. The above package would equate to a "steal" of a trade for the Braves. Even if Atlanta included shortstop Nick Ahmed, that would still be a very good trade for Atlanta.

I'm a fan of all three of the above pitchers, especially Randall Delgado, but Sean Gilmartin and Zeke Spruill are mid-to-back of the rotation starting pitching prospects, whereas Teheran and Graham are mid-to-front of the rotation starting prospects. There's a big difference there.

Peter Gammons usually has pretty good sources. So I believe him much more than I believe others.

Braves Manager, Players Reach Out To Michael Bourn; Could Have Implications For Justin Upton Trade

The Braves could have renewed interest in Michael Bourn, but they may have to wait until the Justin Upton trade business is resolved.

Justin Upton rumors: Recapping a busy day of talks between the Braves, Diamondbacks

There wasn't a whole lot of new news to come across the Justin Upton trade front on Wednesday night after word broke of a potential deal earlier in the day.

Here's what we know: the Braves have made an offer to the Diamondbacks to land Upton. Those in the industry feel it's a "strong offer" and one good enough to send the 25-year-old outfielder to Atlanta.

The players that could be headed Arizona have not been confirmed, although it's believed by multiple outlets that Julio Teheran and Nick Ahmed would be included. The D-backs also have interest in Evan Gattis.

Andrelton Simmons will not be dealt. There is a better chance of you or your barber being included in the deal than Simmons.

In what was the most interesting tidbit from the evening, Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan wrote this about pitching prospect J.R. Graham.

The Braves' proposed package would include shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed, according to a source. Foxsports.com reported power-hitting 26-year-old Evan Gattis, a catcher-turned-outfielder, could also be in the deal, and while Atlanta wants to keep right-hander J.R. Graham, a source said his inclusion could be the key to getting the deal done.

The whole article (and the title of the article) was a bit confusing/misleading, but if Graham is what's holding Upton from coming to Atlanta, I'd have to think Frank Wren wouldn't balk too much.

Graham is a solid prospect, but many feel he's destined to be a late-inning reliever. Those are a lot easier to find than an MVP-caliber outfielder that's under control for at least three years.

Anyway, it's now early Thursday morning. Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal have both reported that Towers would ideally like to clear up his outfield situation before Friday.

One more thing...

It's important to remember that there is absolutely no pressure on the Braves to rush and get this deal done. Sure, it would be nice to wake up to news of a trade, but it probably isn't likely at this point.

If it isn't done by lunchtime, don't freak out. The Diamondbacks essentially have five starting outfielders on their roster, and they have to get rid of one. Kevin Towers has backed himself into a corner and has very little leverage here. Wren just needs to be patient.

Follow @scottcoleman55

D-Backs More Likely To Trade Upton Than Kubel

The Diamondbacks would like to move one of their outfielders before Spring Training, if not this week (which has been a rumored, though apparently not a firm, deadline). The Snakes will either trade Justin Upton or Jason Kubel. With Upton, apparently the only suitor left standing are the Atlanta Braves. The biggest obstacle therefore to a JUp trade going down with Atlanta seems to be if the D-Backs decide to trade Jason Kubel instead.

The news on the Kubel trade front is that apparently not many folks are interested.

At the moment, #Diamondbacks stand better chance of dealing with #Braves for Upton than #Orioles for Kubel. Unclear whether others involved.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 24, 2013

The Orioles have been the only team "rumored" to be interested in Kubel, but that doesn't mean other teams aren't out there lurking. Kubel has a much lower price tag, so the barrier to entry into that trade sweepstakes is much less than the Upton sweepstakes.

What all this means is that in assessing the Braves ability to double-UP (there will be more puns), we also have to keep an eye on the Kubel trade rumors.

What Do D-Backs Fans Think About This Justin Upton Business

I sauntered on over to the SB Nation Arizona Diamondbacks blog, AZ Snake Pit, to see what they were saying about all this Justin Upton to the Atlanta Braves trade rumor business. They have apparently elevated their Upton Trade Threat Level to orange:

Hilarious, clever, and adorable, all at the same time. Those plucky little D-Backs fans. They seem largely nonplussed by any of the prospects rumored to be going their way in any deal. They clearly want to keep Upton in Arizona, and if they do trade him they want a king's ransom for him. I suppose I can't blame them.

Head on over to the Snake Pit and read their comment. Be nice, no jerking.

Confirmation That Braves Made Offer For Justin Upton

There has been a lot of Justin Upton news today as it relates to the Atlanta Braves. Will the Arizona Diamondbacks trade their star outfielder to Atlanta to be reunited with his brother B.J. Upton? First off, we got confirmation that indeed the two sides have been talking, even going as far as exchanging offers:

Confirmed that #Braves have indeed made offer to Dbacks for Justin Upton. I think Teheran plus 2-3 other prospects, but not sure

— David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) January 23, 2013

How fast could things move?

Sources: #Braves waiting to hear from #Diamondbacks on offer for Upton. "Sensitive" time in discussions.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 23, 2013

I'm not sure exactly what "sensitive" means, but it could have something to do with this comment by Rosenthal:

#Braves had trouble getting #Diamondbacks to return calls for much of off-season. As market for JUp shrunk, things evidently changed.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 23, 2013

I'm going to speculate that this might have something to do with certain Braves players or prospects being off limits in any trade talks. It could also have something to do with the package of prospects that Atlanta is offering being significantly less than other packages (specifically the one offered by the Mariners, which had several top-25 prospects).

So the "sensitive" in the above tweet could refer to whether or not the D-Backs think they're being bamboozled. Remember how many times the Braves and Padres went back and forth when discussing Jake Peavy? The Padres GM then, Kevin Towers, is the D-Backs GM now, so that gives you some idea of the gulf that could exist between what the Braves are offering and what the D-Backs might want.

The Braves don't want to part with any of their key pieces, and that may now include Julio Teheran. He being the best prospect in the Braves system, and the Braves not wanting to deal him, could be a pretty sensitive topic, for both sides. Rosenthal provides some ideas about the prospects that could be included by the Braves:

#Braves deep in young arms that could form basis of potential Upton trade. #Diamondbacks also like Gattis' power. SS Ahmed another option.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 23, 2013

Hopefully there will be more exciting developments to come...

Atlanta Braves Making Another Run At Justin Upton

The on-again, off-again trade talks between the Braves and Diamondbacks about Justin Upton are on again.

Braves, D-Backs reportedly discussing Justin Upton trade

According to Buster Olney, Frank Wren and the Braves have made a substantial offer to land Upton.

What Would It Take For The Atlanta Braves To Get Justin Upton

Let's take a look at what prospects the Braves would have to trade in order to get Justin Upton

Yep, We're Still Talking About Justin Upton

More rumors about Justin Upton being traded.

Diamondbacks Aggressive On Trade Front... Upton?

Justin Upton. Justin Upton. Justin Upton.

It's all anyone can say since the Braves signed his brother B.J. last week. Here is a tweet this morning from Buster Olney:

The Diamondbacks are said to be one of the most aggressive teams here so far... Execs with other teams have thought they will trade J.Upton.

If J-Up is available, then one would think the Braves are all over it. Of course, unless the D-Backs have moved off their offer of Simmons in return, then it might be a non-starter. Still, it's heating up...