Justin Upton

The Winter Meetings started today and the Braves' left fielder will definitely be a hot topic of discussion. The Braves already traded slick fielding outfielder Jason Heyward in a deal for Shelby Miller, but signed another great outfielder in Nick Markakis. Justin Upton's name has been fluttered around in trade discussions so far this off season. Many thought the Braves were in on the Yasmany Tomas sweepstakes and if they signed the Cuban slugger Justin Upton would be on the move. The Diamondbacks ended up signing Tomas, so now the question for the Braves is whether or not to trade Justin Upton.

Justin Upton will be a free agent after the 2015 season and will be just 28 years old next season. Upton was already traded once (by the Diamondbacks after the 2012 season), and the Braves definitely won the trade. Being one of the best young players in the game, Upton can fetch a large payout in a trade and will be in store for a large pay day whether it be through an extension or free agency.  

Since 2011 Upton has been constantly healthy playing in at least 149 games each season, and has hit for both power and average. His stolen base total has decrease dramatically since being traded to the Braves, but his other statistics have remained consistent except for strikeout percentage. In his final two seasons with the Diamondbacks Upton had a strikeout percentage of 19%. In the two seasons he has spent with the Braves his strikeout percentage has gone up to 26%, which means he is striking out on average once per game.

Besides the problem with the strike outs, Justin Upton can be very valuable to a team seeking a powerful bat. His slashline over the last three seasons is .271/.350/.462 equating to an OPS+ of 122. The Braves are very short on pitching, but they already traded one of their young outfielders, would they be willing to trade another? One theory that has been tossed around is using Evan Gattis in left field while letting catching prospect Christian Bethancourt get a chance behind the plate, but the Braves would definitely miss Upton's power.

Possible landing spots for Upton could be Seattle, Baltimore, San Francsico, and San Diego. The Braves will be seeking young pitchers who are ready or already established at a Major League level. The Mariners and Orioles have these pitchers in the form of Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, and Kevin Gausman. The only other outfield sluggers left on the market are Melky Cabrera, Matt Kemp,  Alex Rios, and a defensively challenged Micheal Morse. As more names come off the board, Upton will be in higher demand.