The MLB trade rumor mill is swirling, and the name getting the most attention right now is Tampa Bay Rays outfielder B.J. Upton. There are rumors galore linking Upton with the Washington Nationals, and one report, however reliable it may be, has already gone out on a limp and suggested Upton will be traded to Washington.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Nationals are one of several teams making calls to try to acquire Upton. The full list is as follows.
#Phillies some interest in Upton, but heard most calls to #Rays are #Nationals #Braves #Pirates,#Reds #Cardinals (if trade Rasmus for P)
Sherman also notes that the Kansas City Royals are a darkhorse in the Upton sweepstakes. That would be out of left field.
One report suggests Upton is absolutely heading to D.C. Jen Royle, a Baltimore-area reporter who recently worked for MASN, cited an MLB source saying Upton is heading to the Nationals. Her timeline is filled with defending her information, and she later revealed it was a general manager who said so. It's probably premature to call Upton to the Nationals at this point, but there appears to be a lot of smoke.
The Nationals covet Upton because they see him as a long-term option in center field and at the top of their order. He's struggled a bit recently, but the hope is a change of scenery would suit him well. For more on Upton, check out this analysis by Grant Brisbee of Baseball Nation.