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Rosenthal: Blue Jays front-runners for Melvin Upton Jr.

The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly the front-runners to land San Diego Padres outfielder Melvin Upton Jr., according to Ken Rosenthal.

This builds on a report from ESPN’s Jim Bowden last week that the Blue Jays had been linked to Upton. While the 31-year-old outfielder has generated substantial trade buzz around Major League Baseball ahead of the August 1st trade deadline, the return of Jose Bautista from a turf toe injury and the club’s current roster construction make Upton a curious fit.

In terms of the lineup, the addition of Upton would hypothetically bump first-baseman Justin Smoak out of the starting nine.