Nick Piecoro reports that the Diamondbacks are unlikely to make a conventional veteran-for-prospects trade involving outfielder Justin Upton, given that they're still only four games back in the N.L. West.
"We're not looking for prospects," Towers said. "We're still in win mode. We're certainly not in sell mode at all."
This means that the discussions Pirates fans have had about dealing, say, Jameson Taillon in an Upton deal are probably moot.
Well, kind of. There's certainly the chance that the D'Backs could do a three-team deal, where the Pirates ship prospects to a rebuilding team, the rebuilding team sends veterans to Arizona, and Arizona sends Upton to Pittsburgh. That's complex, but it might actually be the easiest way for the Diamondbacks to get what they want. If it's a two-team trade, though, the Pirates won't be involved, unless they do something incredibly surprising, like trading Pedro Alvarez.
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