Melvin Upton Jr. could soon be on the move. The Padres are reportedly informing teams that they're close to trading the veteran outfielder, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, who cautioned that the news "may ultimately be posturing" by San Diego.
The Orioles surfaced late Friday as a potential destination for Upton, according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported that the deal is not yet close, but noted O's right-hander Ubaldo Jiménez was included in the discussions.
Things changed once again Saturday as Rosenthal reported that the Blue Jays are also in the mix and that the Orioles are also interested in Andrew Cashner. The report said the Orioles are interested in Cashner on a seperate deal, while it was "unclear" if the Blue Jays would be interested in acquiring Upton if they didn't get Cashner as well.
None of the clubs involved have confirmed the reports.
Upton could make sense for the Orioles as a defensively skilled outfielder with some power. Baltimore lost two outfielders to injury this week. Joey Rickard landed on the disabled list Friday with a right thumb ligament injury, while Hyun Soo Kim hit the DL on Tuesday -- retroactive to July 11 -- with a strained right hamstring.
The Orioles are said to be prioritizing starting rotation help in advance of the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. They've also been linked to Reds outfielder Jay Bruce.
Upton is batting .260/.309/.448 with 16 homers this season, his second with San Diego. The 31-year-old is a career .245 hitter through 12 seasons in the big leagues with the Rays, Braves and Padres. He's under contract through 2017.
Cashner, is 4-7 with a 4.79 ERA in 15 starts this season, his seventh in the Majors.
The Padres have already traded starting pitchers James Shields and Drew Pomeranz this season.