The Toronto Blue Jays outbid an American League East rival to land Melvin Upton Jr.
The Jays acquired the outfielder formerly known as B.J. from the San Diego Padres in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Hansel Rodriguez and cash, the Padres announced Tuesday. The Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians reportedly pursued Upton, too.
Upton enjoyed a resurgence with the Padres this season after an abysmal 2013 and 2014 with the Atlanta Braves. The 31-year-old has 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and 20 stolen bases to go with a .256 average. He’s also batting .282 with a .913 OPS against lefties, making him a good asset in Toronto’s already solid outfield of Jose Bautista, Kevin Pillar and Michael Saunders.
Toronto seems to have gotten away with robbery, too.
And as the New York Post’s Joel Sherman pointed out, Upton — who’s signed through 2017 — is some insurance if Jose Bautista and/or Edwin Encarnacion leave in free agency.
Fangraphs ranked Rodriguez, 19, as the Blue Jays’Â 20th-best prospect at the beginning of this season but noted that he still needs plenty of work. The right-hander has gone 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts for the rookie-level Bluefield Blue Jays.
Thumbnail photo via Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports Images
