Reports: Diamondbacks trade Justin Upton to Braves

Justin Upton

The Diamondbacks agreed to trade Justin Upton to the Braves on Thursday morning, according to multiple reports. Atlanta will receive Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson, while Arizona gets third baseman/outfielder Martin Prado, starting pitcher Randall Delgado, minor league shortstop Nick Ahmed, minor league pitcher Zeke Spruill and minor league infielder Brandon Drury.

The deal will put Justin and his older brother, B.J. Upton, on the same team for the first time in their major league careers. The last time a pair of brothers played on the same team in the majors was 2010 when Jerry Hairston Jr. and Scott Hairston joined up on the Padres.

Tweeted B.J. Upton on Wednesday upon hearing rumors of a deal: Wow these @JUS10UP10 rumors have me excited. Please don’t tease me like this… Would be a dream come true if it happens.

The Diamondbacks reportedly were trying to decide whether to trade Upton or outfielder Jason Kubel. Arizona was said to have been in talks with the Orioles about a possible Kubel trade.

In 2009, at age 21, Upton was viewed as a franchise player for the Diamondbacks when he hit 26 home runs and had 86 RBIs. In March 2010, the Diamondbacks signed him to a six-year, $51.5 million deal. He finished fourth in the NL MVP voting in 2011.

However, after Upton’s poor start to the 2012 season, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick began discussing a possible trade.

“I think Justin is an enigma at this point,” he told KTAR. “I know he had an injury early on and maybe a little bit of a nagging injury. But he’s played. He’s certainly not the Justin Upton that he has been in the past and that what we would expect of him. He’s 24 years old and it’s time for him to be a consistent performer, and right now this year he’s not been that.”

B.J. Upton agreed to a five-year, $75.25 million deal with the Braves and was introduced in a press conference on Nov. 29 to fill the void left by departing free agent Michael Bourn.

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