The Arizona Diamondbacks are once again, if not actively shopping Justin Upton, at least letting other teams know that he's not untouchable. Because of this, what looks like a relatively-uninspiring trade market on the offensive side of things, and the fact that envisioning players like Justin Upton on your team is just so much more than what reality offers sometimes, there's been lots of focus on the outfielder the last few weeks.
Because of this, we now know where his limited no-trade clause means something, and one of those no-go destinations is Boston.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton can block trades to four teams, major league sources told FOXSports.com: the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs.
Upton might have a no-trade clause in place for the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cubs since all three of those organizations have the financials to entice Upton to drop the clause -- essentially, holding those clubs hostage in order to get Upton, by improving Upton's own situation. Cleveland is likely a cover mixed in so no one sees a pattern in the other three teams, but let's pretend it's because Upton is a progressive advocate of human rights and a student of history who detests the Indians for their logo, name, and inability to quickly rectify either situation.
The cost for Upton was likely to be prohibitive for Boston anyway, unless you're cool with the idea of dealing all of those fun top 100 prospects the Sox have collected over the past couple of years. Upton's just 24, and has loads of talent, but he's also been saddled with a bum shoulder, and owns home/road splits that doctors suggest you should avoid prolonged exposure to, lest you become nauseous. Those kinds of splits aren't everything, but ignoring them entirely isn't right, either.
This mostly just serves as a reminder that the trade deadline is likely to be boring if your club is in need of a game-changing hitter.