The Seattle Mariners Should Not Trade For Justin Upton

The rumors have been flying around recently that the Mariners want to trade for Justin Upton, and part of the deal for that would be sending Taijuan Walker to the Braves.

No.

I won’t allow it. Strictly for the pure fact that Upton only has one year to his current deal left. Well, more than that, but we’ll get to that in a minute. Sending Walker, one of the best prospects that we have, over there to possibly develop in to an amazing talent is ridiculous.

Now, on to some solid(ish) reasons why the Mariners shouldn’t trade for Upton:

1. He strikes out a lot

My fellow writer Patrick Ringelstein concisely summed up some of the good things and bad things about Upton. He mentions that Upton’s strikeout rate (SO/PA) in Atlanta over the past two years was over 25 percent. Putting that in simpler terms, Upton struck out once per game. The M’s have enough on their plate regarding getting players on base for Upton to be striking out as much as that.

2. Team chemistry

Now, I’m probably COMPLETELY off base here, but here goes. I don’t think Upton would fit in with the other players on the Mariners. I seem to remember a while back (I can’t find the link) about him being sat for comments he made or for off-field behavior, or something akin to that, and that kind of activity has no place in any locker room. Previous sentence aside, Upton comes across as a guy who would put his ego before his team.

3. It wouldn’t be a straight across trade

Trading to get Upton isn’t as simple as sending Walker to Atlanta. In all likelihood, the M’s would have to send multiple players down there, either from the farm system or from the 40-man roster. The Braves need a lot to contend next year, and I don’t want to see the M’s send away somebody that could end up being crucial to their playoff hopes.

Now, if Upton were to solve his strikeout issues, which is possible, having a Silver Slugger bat on our team would be absolutely wonderful. The combo of Upton, Cano and Seager in the 3-4-5 spots in the lineup would be devastating for opposing pitchers.

What do you guys think? Also, if the M’s were to make an offer for Upton, who would you suggest, and why? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.