Should The Yankees Trade For Justin Upton?

The Braves are willing to trade away Justin Upton, and it's been said that the Royals, Rangers, Padres, and Indians are interested. I can't help but ask "why aren't the Yankees?"

While the starting rotation, bullpen, and infield still have questions, the outfield seems to be settled. We have Carlos Beltran in right field, Jacoby Ellsbury in center field, Brett Gardner in left field, and the team recently signed Chris Young to be their 4th outfielder. So why waste time on another outfielder when those other questions are more pressing?

Looking at the proposed lineup, as the team is currently built, allows you to see a few problems...

1. Brett Gardner - while it would be great to see his OBP get back up to .345 or higher, and have him run like he did in 2011, this looks to be his spot for 2015.
2. Martin Prado - With a .289/.339/.423 batting line the past three years, with a low strikeout rate, he's a good fit here.
3. Jacoby Ellsbury - better suited as the lead-off man, but will again be needed to fill this spot in the lineup
4. Carlos Beltran - Overall he's not a great hitter, but he does provide some pop.
5. Brian McCann - he led the team in home runs last season, but thanks to a low batting average and on-base percentage the past few years I see him down here.
6. Mark Teixeira - He can still hit around 25 home runs. Other than that? Ugh.
7. Alex Rodriguez - There's a really good chance he'll end up hitting higher in the lineup, but to start the year off I wouldn't place him any higher.
8. Didi Gregorius - There's every chance that he's the least productive hitter on the Yankees, and the 8-hole seems to be the place to hide that guy.
9. Rob Refsnyder/Jose Pirela - if Pirela is the starting 2B for the Yankees, then this is his spot thanks to his running ability, and hitting in front of Garder. If the starter is Refsnyder, then he and Gregorius could swap lineup spots.

The first problem is that the team has two lead-off hitters... Ellsbury and Gardner.

Gardner can still run pretty well, but he doesn't really have the bat to hit anywhere else in the top of the lineup. But Brett is a good hitter, and certainly warrants a spot high in the order.

Meanwhile, Ellsbury has hit 1st the vast majority of his career, and a .290 batting average there vs. .277 while hitting 3rd, tells me he should be put back there.  Not to mention a .432 slugging percentage while leading off versus .388 batting 3rd.

The second problem is a weak "heart" of the order. Carlos Beltran has hit .269 over the last three years, Brian McCann has hit .238 during that same time span, and Mark Teixeira has been even worse at .229. So while you may get as many as 90 home runs out of those three, other than that you can't expect much.

The third problem is that the Yankees would actually be lucky to get those "90 home runs" out of the heart or the order. Chances are you're actually looking at around 75 homers, which is kind of sad for a team nicknamed the "Bronx Bombers".

We've gone from this...

To this...

Well, there's one man that we know is available (either by trade or free agency) that could help fix those issues... Justin Upton.

While Justin is not going to hit .300, his batting average the previous few years was .271, which would have been tied with Ellsbury for the best batting average on the Yankees last season (not counting Ichiro, as he's no longer a Yankee anyway).

And Upton's 29 home runs last season would have been the highest total for the Yankees in 2014.

I should also note that Upton's contract only has one more year remaining on it. However, trading for him before the season allows the Yankees to give him a qualifying offer and receive a draft pick should he sign elsewhere. But at only 27 years old, I can see the Yankees using the 2015 season as an audition for re-signing him.

I don't want you to think Justin Upton's presence would be great all-around. While the Yankees would be more than happy to see his bat join the team, his glove is definitely not Gold Glove material. In over 2100 innings in left field, between last season and 2013, his UZR/150 is a below average -5.8. In right field it's not a whole lot better, as a 1.5 UZR/150 in over 6500 innings tells me he's pretty much average there.

So Justin Upton isn't a perfect fit, but he'd be a nice upgrade for the lineup, and wouldn't hurt much in the field. So what would it take to acquire him?

Well, the Braves are apparently looking to add a second baseman and/or starting pitcher. And after finishing below .500 last season, I'm willing to bet they aren't going to demand players in return that would immediately thrust them into contention. I mean, I don't think they expect to get somebody like Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez in exchange for Upton.

Also, while they didn't mention getting an outfielder in return, I can't imagine they wouldn't want one. As of right now, not including Justin, the Braves would have BJ Upton, Zoilo Almonte, and Joe Terdoslavich in the outfield. That is hardly an outfield that screams "awesome'. And, for the record, the Braves best outfield prospect is only 18 years old.

So here's my trade proposal. Now, like most trade proposals discussed on the internet, it probably sucks. But I believe it's a fine starting point to discuss the possibility of acquiring Mr. Justin Upton.

Brett Gardner, Rob Refsnyder, and David Phelps for Justin Upton

Okay, that's probably too much for Upton, so Atlanta would have to kick in something else. Like... say... money that can be used for David Robertson and/or Max Scherzer?

What do you think?