Diamondbacks trade Justin Upton in 7 player deal
Reporter: Jason Barr, Sports Director
PHOENIX (KGUN9-TV) The Atlanta Braves have agreed to a trade to acquire outfielder Justin Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson from the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Randall Delgado infielder Martin Prado, and minor leaguers Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury and Zeke Spruill.
The deal is pending physicals by players involved.
The deal would unite Upton with his older brother, B.J. Upton, who signed as a free agent with Atlanta this winter.
The Diamondbacks once viewed Upton as a player they would build around for years to come. At age 21, he hit 26 homers, scored 84 runs and drove in 86 runs. In March 2010, Arizona signed Upton to a six-year, $51.5 million deal. The D-backs made the playoffs in 2011, and Upton finished fourth in NL MVP voting.
But the Diamondbacks started discussing possible Upton trades that fall, and after he got off to a poor start in 2012, Arizona owner Ken Kendrick criticized Upton and other players in a radio interview.
Arizona again looked into trading Upton before the July 31 deadline last summer and continued to have discussions once this offseason began. It has became increasingly apparent that the relationship between the Diamondbacks and Upton had been damaged.
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