Report: A four-team deal involving Justin Upton has been revived
December 5, 2012 12:01 pm ET
A four-team trade involving Justin Upton, James Shields and Asdrubal Cabrera has been revived, according to Bob Nightengale of the USA Today. The deal proposed by Nightengale includes the Diamondbacks, Indians, Rangers and Rays. Buster Olney of ESPN has tweeted that the Royals are actually a part of the deal along with Arizona and Cleveland, meaning either Texas or Tampa Bay would be left out.
Olney might have referenced the deal on Tuesday night but said the deal was “dormant.” Rumors suggest the Diamondbacks are looking for a shortstop in an Upton deal, so the Indians’ Cabrera would seem destined to wind up in Arizona if this deal actually materializes. The Diamondbacks would likely also want more for Upton, who is 25 years old and signed through the 2015 season.
The inclusion of Shields complicates things. He would be a nice fit with any of the teams involved. There’s also no mention of what the Rangers would give up in this deal, but they are trying hard for Upton, as reported by CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman. Four-team trades are pretty rare, but it is interesting that a deal once thought to be dead has been revived. EDB
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