Back on December 19, 2014, the Atlanta Braves made a significant trade with the Padres, sending star outfielder Justin Upton and a prospect to San Diego, receiving multiple prospects in return. A move that ended up being noteworthy for both teams, where are each of those players from the Upton trade at now a little over seven years later?
Where are the players from the Atlanta Braves-San Diego Padres trade for Justin Upton now?
San Diego Padres receive: OF Justin Upton, RHP Aaron Northcraft
Beginning with the Padres, San Diego received only two players in the deal from Atlanta - OF Justin Upton and RHP Aaron Northcraft.
The centerpiece of the deal was undoubtedly Justin Upton, who was coming off one of the best seasons of his career at the time, hitting 29 HR with 102 RBI during the 2014 campaign with Atlanta. Upton would go on to spend only one season with the Padres in 2015 before departing via free agency, and is currently a free agent after spending the 2022 season with the Seattle Mariners, his third different team since the trade.
Northcraft, a former 10th round pick by Atlanta in the 2009 MLB Draft, was a minor league pitcher at the time of the deal, and has since made only five appearances in the major leagues, which all came with the Padres in 2021. Northcraft is currently a free agent, and recently spent the 2022 season in the minor leagues of the Padres organization.
Atlanta Braves receive: LHP Max Fried, 2B Jace Peterson, OF Mallex Smith, OF Dustin Peterson
As for the Braves side of the deal, Atlanta received four prospects in return - LHP Max Fried, 2B Jace Peterson, OF Mallex Smith, and OF Dustin Peterson
Of those names, the biggest at the time, as well as now, was that of Fried, a former first round pick by San Diego from the 2012 MLB Draft. Fried is the only player from this trade still with the respective team as the Braves ace has owned a combined 3.09 ERA since making his MLB debut in 2017 with Atlanta, and is currently one of the top left-handed pitchers in the sport.
The next biggest name was likely that of Jace Peterson, who would join the Braves major league roster immediately, and would spend three seasons in Atlanta through 2017. Peterson has since seen time in the major leagues with the Yankees, Orioles, and Brewers, and recently signed with the Oakland Athletics as a free agent.
Smith would go on to make his MLB debut with the Braves in 2016, and would last appear in a major league game during the 2020 campaign after two seasons with the Rays and Mariners each. Smith is currently a free agent after spending the 2022 season in the minor leagues of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, as well as independent ball.
Dustin Peterson, the final player involved in the deal, was a former second round pick by San Diego in the 2013 MLB Draft, and has since played in only 19 major league games, which came during the 2018-19 seasons. Peterson is currently with the Philadelphia Phillies, whom he signed with as a free agent earlier this year.