SAN DIEGO -- The Braves believe they should get more for Justin Upton than they got from the Cardinals for Jason Heyward.
Rival executives agree with that. Upton, due to better power and overall offense, is worth more than Heyward.
But here's the problem: Executives also believe the Braves got too much for Heyward, a defensive specialist whose offensive numbers are declining a bit. They see young pitcher Shelby Miller as an overpay, so no one wants to do better than that yet.
The Mariners declined to include Taijuan Walker (who interestingly was offered two years ago for Upton), and the Orioles won't give up Kevin Gausman.
So the Braves will continue to see what's out there.
Upton, with 29 home runs and an impressive 102 RBI in a bad Braves offense, had a worthy season. He also has one year at a reasonable $14.5 million, and a very good clubhouse rep. That he can't field with Heyward shouldn't mitigate the much better offensive productivity.
The Royals, Rangers, Indians and Padres were identified by Joel Sherman of the New York Post as the most interested at this point. The Giants and Orioles have been mentioned before but they may be running behind at the moment.
In any case, there's still work to do.
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