Justin Upton not likely to be traded to Rangers; Dbacks insisting on Elvis Andrus

The Arizona Diamondbacks are asking for shortstop Elvis Andrus from the Texas Rangers in exchange for right fielder Justin Upton, but that may not be a possibility, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Upton saw a dip in effectiveness in 2012 but is still a relative bargain at his salary, and Arizona wants to make sure they are rightly compensated for his services.

It appears the Rangers won't be able to provide the value the D-backs are looking for in a trade. Rosenthal points out that because of an injury to a top prospect, Texas may be less willing to part with Andrus:

A trade for him is not likely, not when the D-backs, according to sources, continue to insist that the Rangers part with shortstop Elvis Andrus. The Rangers have been reluctant to make such a deal. They might be even more reluctant now that their top shortstop prospect, Jurickson Profar, has stopped playing winter ball in the Dominican due to inflammation in his forearm.

Upton finished 2012 with a slash line of .280/.355/.430, with the major drop-off coming in his power. He went from 75 extra-base hits in 2011 to just 45 last season. Even with the power outage, Upton still outperformed his salary. According to Fangraphs, he was worth $11.5 million while making just $6.75 million.