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Cleveland Indians could be active in trying to acquire Justin Upton

Will the Cleveland Indians go after Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Justin Upton?

Christian Petersen

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Diamondbacks are looking to acquire a shortstop in return for Justin Upton.

There are several players they like, including Asdrubal Cabrera of the Cleveland Indians, Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar of the Texas Rangers, and Andrelton Simmons of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves and the Rangers seem unwilling to part with their players, leaving Cabrera as the only active face who might be on the market. The Indians are reportedly dangling Cabrera out there for all suitors to check out.

Buster Olney has more.

If the Indians go-all in on their rebuilding, it's possible they can extract pitching from a team such as the Mariners or Diamondbacks. They're not going to win with the pitching they have; they need to get it, which is why they've asked for a ton in return for Cabrera, in the eyes of rival evaluators.

The 25-year-old Upton hit .280/.355/.430, knocking in 17 home runs and driving in 67 RBIs. He also stole 18 bases and 107 runs, but it was a down year from his 2011 production, where he finished fourth overall in the National League MVP voting in leading the Diamondbacks to an NL West title.

Another possibility the Diamondbacks are shopping around is Jason Kubel, but Upton will definitely attract far more value on the market. Upton is currently in the middle of a six-year, $50 million deal that expires after 2015.