Braves "down the road" in trade talks with AL West club for Justin Upton

It has been speculated for weeks that Justin Upton would wind up with an American League West team, with the Mariners and Rangers being obvious fits. The Oakland Athletics have also required a ton of pitching in recent days, which leads us to this report from a lead FanGraphs writer:

AL Source: Braves appear to be down the road on a deal sending Justin Upton to an AL West club for a package headlined by young pitching.

— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) December 19, 2014

I'm holding out hope for Mike Trout. He could probably pitch.

In all seriousness, the folks closest to the Braves have continually pushed a handful of west coast teams as the leading suitors for Upton.

The Mariners are a big bat away from being really scary, the Rangers have the young talent the Braves desire, and Billy Beane is out here playing chess while the rest of the league plays checkers. They should make a movie about this guy and his crazy way of doing stuff.

None of the national or Braves beat writers have chimed in tonight – they're rumored to be sleeping – though there was this speculation a little earlier from Jane Lee, A's beat writer for MLB.com.

Can't imagine the A's will keep all this pitching. Have to think they're prepping for a bigger move, like an Upton or Tulowitzki.

— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) December 19, 2014

Stay tuned...