Buster Olney weighs in on Justin Upton

MyNorthwest.com staff

Note: Buster Olney joined Brock and Salk on Tuesday before Reynolds Sports Management, the agency that represents Justin Upton, posted on its Twitter account that “Contrary to prior reports, the Seattle Mariners are NOT on Justin Upton’s No Trade List.”

The Mariners’ hopes of acquiring Arizona outfielder Justin Upton in an offseason trade seemed to take a huge blow on Monday, as FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reported that Seattle is one of four teams on Upton’s no-trade list.

But Upton’s agent denied that on Tuesday, saying that the Mariners are not one of the four teams on that list. Rosenthal has since recanted his report.

Arizona’s general manager Kevin Towers put Upton on the proverbial trading block last week when he said he would listen to offers for the 23-year-old All-Star.

But ESPN’s Buster Olney, who joined Brock and Salk on Tuesday before Upton’s agent denied Rosenthal’s report, said Arizona’s high asking price would be the deal killer for the Mariners.

With the Diambondbacks looking for a major-league ready player as the centerpeice of a package for Upton, the Mariners would seemingly have to give up Dustin Ackley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 draft and top position player in their farm system.

That’s too much, according to Olney.

“In talking with executives around baseball, they can’t see that Seattle would make this deal without (including) Dustin Ackley,” Olney said Tuesday on the Brock and Salk show. “It makes no sense – given what (Ackley has) done, given the belief they have in him – that they would (trade Ackley) plus others. And that’s basically what they’re looking for.”

Listen to Buster Olney