It has not been announced officially by either side, but it appears at this hour that Justin Upton will shortly become a Padres as what appears to be at least a six-player deal.
lhp max fried, ss jace peterson, 3b dustin peterson, of mallex smith going to braves for justin upon and low-level player
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 19, 2014
We are Officially Rebuilding in 2015
We will have more on these players when the deal is announced, but here’s the quick hits:
Max Fried – 3rd-ranked Padres’ prospect; LHP with big curveball and mid-90’s fastball… and a Tommy John scar earned in August, so he’s not pitching again until 2016. He is nearly 21 years old, 6′-4″/170 and a #7 overall first rounder from 2012. He was in A-ball at the time of his injury, so he’s still a long way off.
Dustin Peterson – 10th-ranked A-ball 3B with pretty good power. 2nd round pick in 2013.
Jace Peterson – SS/2B guy… could hit the majors shortly (which is interesting in and of itself) after hitting .306 in AAA. Was ranked 6th/7th in their system. Drafted in 2011 in the supplemental round.
Mallex Smith – Speed burner outfielder. If he can hit at all, he could be a CF of the future, but still way back at High-A ball. Was 20th on their list. 2012 Round 5.
Have not yet seen the name of the “low level” player going to San Diego from Atlanta. Just so long as his name doesn’t include “Albies”.
UPDATE: AAA pitcher Aaron Northcraft is the player going to San Diego. I’m okay with that – it’s doubtful that he would be able to reach or stick into the Atlanta rotation. Threw a no-hitter back in 2012 with Lynchburg, but has struggled mightily with control over the past couple of years. He was a 10th round pick in 2009; will be 25 this next Spring.
Braves also receive another international bonus pool slot from San Diego.
So now we’re over the “tipping point”… think this is the end of the trades? Think again.