Twitter Q&A: Does trading Murphy for Upton make sense?

In a post to Twitter, Ben Yoel asks: “Would you trade Daniel Murphy and Bobby Parnell for B.J. Upton?” Michael Baron: In recent years, I’ve always thought Upton should be better than he is. Over the last three years, his power and production numbers have steadily increased, but his average and on-base percentage have dramatically decreased over that span with a sharp rise in his strikeout numbers likely contributing to that. He’s also had behavioral problems in the last two years which makes me question his mental makeup as well. With that said, Upton is a natural fit defensively for the Mets as he is among the best centerfielders in the game, and he had a very strong month of September in which he helped carry the Rays past the Red Sox and into the playoffs. Also, as Sandy Alderson said the other night, the team’s defensive has to improve next year. However, the Rays seem to value defensively versatility on their roster, and Murphy isn’t exactly ...