The Atlanta Braves are pursuing multiple options to fill
their void in center field, both through trade and the open market, but outfielder
B.J. Upton continues to be the team’s “top free agent choice,” according to
Carrol Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The Braves are pursuing multiple options at center field, both through free agency and the trade market, but B.J. Upton has emerged as their top free agent choice.
General manager Frank Wren said the Braves continue to
pursue the biggest free agent names out there, including Atlanta’s former center
fielder Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton and Angel Pagan, but they are “making a
strong push” for Upton.
While Wren admitted that the Braves “like” Upton, he
acknowledged that the team has “a lot of lines in the water.”
Upton visited the Braves last Thursday and was taken on a
six-hour tour of Turner Field and the stadium’s facilities. Rogers notes that
the 28-year-old is expected to command a deal in the five-year, $75 million
range. While this is a lofty total, it still figures to be cheaper than the
contract Bourn signs, as Rogers adds it could be “well above” Upton’s deal.
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