Toronto Blue Jays Acquire Melvin Upton Jr. from San Diego Padres

In the midst of a rebound season, Melvin Upton Jr. has been traded from the San Diego Padres to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Early this morning, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported that the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Melvin Upton Jr. from the San Diego Padres in exchange for an unnamed Class A prospect.

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball later reported that right-hander Hansel Rodriguez would be going to San Diego.

While the Blue Jays don’t exactly need outfield help, it signals their willingness to bolster the entire team’s depth in efforts to overtake the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox in the American League East. Upton will likely become the team’s fourth outfielder, while he should see the majority of his time in right and center – where he can take over for Kevin Pillar and Jose Bautista.

The Orioles were reportedly among the other front runners to land Upton Jr. along with the Cleveland Indians.

Upton, 31, has quickly turned the narrative of his career around, as he’s gone from an utter mess with the Atlanta Braves to a throwback of the player he once was with the Tampa Bay Rays. The 2016 version of Upton Jr. looks a lot like the player who hit 23 homers while slashing .243/.331/.429 in 2011 with the Rays – rather than the one who hit .196 in two seasons with Atlanta.

This season in San Diego, Upton is hitting a respectable .256 with a .743 OPS and 16 homers with 20 stolen bases. If he were to stay a starter with the Padres, he’d likely have a chance to break his career-high in homers (28). Now with a boisterous Jays lineup, Upton may see his RBI and run totals skyrocket.

While Upton’s strikeout numbers are high and his walks low, his status as the fourth outfielder on the contending Jays should help him maintain or exceed his current level of play.

The Padres will eat a substantial amount of the money Upton Jr. is due, which was a major factor as to why he wasn’t traded in the offseason:

Upton is owed the rest of $15.45 million this year and $16.45 million next season before becoming a free agent.

Without Upton in the outfield, this likely signals a full youth movement for the Padres. While it’s unlikely they’ll call up top prospect Manuel Margot – who they acquired in an offseason trade with the Red Sox – Hunter Renfroe could see time with the Padres very soon.

The 24-year-old is dominating at Triple-A this season, slashing .331/.356/.607 with 25 homers and 87 RBI.  While his numbers are inflated for a hitter-friendly league, Renfroe has established himself as one of the better offensive prospects in baseball after being drafted in the first round of the 2013 draft.

Margot has a fair shot at a call-up too, as he’s hitting .306/.356/.434 with 71 runs scored, 37 RBI and 24 SB in his first season at Triple-A.  At just 21, however, it’s easy to see the Padres taking their time with him as they continue to rebuild.  With Travis Jankowski and Alex Dickerson as the only obstacles to clear playing time, both could seemingly make their debuts this season.

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This trade may wind up being one of the better deals at the 2016 deadline, as the Jays bolstered their depth while the Padres opened up an outfield spot for young talent.