Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Upton Brothers Could Potentially Play for the Braves Together



MLB’s 2013 season is upon us and as always franchise teams are looking to update their 40-man roster with the best in the league to strengthen their squad and get a couple of wins under their belt.
This past November the Braves signed a five-year contract with star center fielder B.J. Upton for a whopping US$ 75.25 million. Upon signing of the deal B.J. Upton said that he and his younger brother Justin Upton had discussed the possibility of playing in Atlanta together and were hoping a miracle lands them together in the same squad.
Well people who’ve already bought Atlanta Braves 2013 Season Tickets might be in for a surprise this season and might just get to see the Upton brothers playing together. If reports are to be believed the Arizona Diamondbacks are running out of options to trade Justin Uptonwhich has given rise to several speculations about the Braves considering signing the 25 year old.
After this Thursday the Atlanta Braves are being as favorites to land Justin Upton after the right fielder declined to play for the Mariners and the Rangers decided to stop pursuing the popular D-backs player.
The odds of these players playing together in the Atlanta Braves have drastically improved. The popular team has approximately $12 million in their budget to spend during the upcoming season. Financially speaking the Braves can easily afford Justin Upton, who would be owed $9.75 million in 2013, $14.25 million in 2014 and $14.5 million in 2015. The money offered to Justin would simply replace Brian McCann’s pay who, in all likelihood, is playing his final season with the Braves.
With Justin Upton, the Braves would be getting a player who batted .280 with 17 home runs and a .785 OPS while battling a thumb injury this past year. The 25-year-old outfielder hit .289 with 31 homers and a .898 OPS during the 2011 season.
The Braves will be one hard team to beat this season. A significant improvement in their offensive tactics is already visible and the addition of Justin Upton would contribute heavily to their firepower.
The Braves have a fan in me and I’m one of those who stand with the team through thick and thin. As soon as I heard TicketVistas was selling tickets for atlanta braves for a bargain I quickly made a purchase. Can’t wait for the season to begin. Go Braves!