After a couple of weekend reports about B.J. Upton, we hear today that the Phillies are talking to the Rays about inquiring the lesser of the Upton brothers. That’s from Jen Royle, who says that the Nats are still interested as well.
Upton is having a pretty terrible year so far, hitting .229/.310/.395, but he plays good defense and, as has been said so many time, has the potential to be so much better than he is. He certainly wouldn’t be a difference-maker like Carlos Beltran, but given how comfy the Phillies’ lead is at the moment, their biggest need isn’t a difference-maker as much as it is felxibility and freshness in the second half and all of that.
And hey, if Upton explodes for a month or two like he’s capable of doing, all the better.