Earlier today, the Atlanta Braves agreed to acquire right fielder Justin Upton and third baseman Chris Johnson from Arizona in exchange for All-Star Martin Prado, right-hander Randall Delgado, third base prospect Brandon Drury, shortstop prospect Nick Ahmed and right-handed pitching prospect Zeke Spruill.

After years of speculation and rumours, Upton is finally on the move and will join his brother in Atlanta. On November 28th, the Braves signed center fielder B.J. Upton to a five-year deal worth $75.25 million. Looking to replace the speed and fielding ability of Michael Bourn, Upton was a great fit, but one does begin to wonder if they signed him to help lure Justin to Atlanta.

Arizona used the second overall pick to select Upton in 2005 and scouts were incredibly excited about his future. He was tabbed "the best prep position prospect since Ken Griffey Jr." Arizona could see a superstar in the making and Upton made it up to the big leagues by 2007 at the tender age of nineteen. Upton is a two-time All Star (2009, 2011) and captured the Silver Slugger award in 2011. He has a world of potential and could be a perennial 40 homer, 100-plus RBI guy for the Braves.

Essentially, the Diamondbacks get a quality third baseman/left fielder who can hit for a high batting average and provide some power as well. Prado first became a full-time player with the Braves in 2009 and responded by hitting .307 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs. His career low batting average is .260, which is pretty impressive. Prado is coming off a career year, which he hit for a .301 batting average, 10 home runs and 70 RBIs to go along with 81 runs scored and 17 stolen bases.

Let's take a look at the fantasy impact of this deal.

The Braves get: A potential cornerstone to go along with phenom Jason Heyward. Atlanta should see great things from the Upton brothers and Heyward in the future.

The Diamondbacks get: A great teammate and great player in Prado, plus a potential number two or number three starter in Delgado. They also get some pretty nice prospects, although none of them have me that excited. Prado moves to a more hitter-friendly park and could build on his career year.

Fantasy Players helped by this deal:

- Justin Upton, OF, ATL
- Martin Prado, 3B/OF, ARI
- Randall Delgado, SP, ARI

Fantasy Players hurt by this deal

- Evan Gattis, C/OF, ATL
- Patrick Corbin, SP, ARI
- Tyler Skaggs, SP, ARI

The way I see it, Atlanta won this trade by a landslide. Playing with his brother in Atlanta could be exactly what Justin needs for motivation. The fact that Arizona did not land Lucas Sims, J.R. Graham or Julio Teheran in this trade baffles me. Those three are the top pitching prospects in the Braves organization.

Mac can be found on the forums as dmvincent, and you can also follow him on Twitter here.

Comments (3)

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Mac Vincent said:

	Agreed You guys are right on with those points. Thanks for commenting.
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January 27, 2013
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gregory churchill said:

Also We may see more of Juan fransisco. Once again, he has had a strong winter season. He was blocked by Prado, but C Johnson isn't nearly the talent. I think both Corbin and Skaggs are higher on the current depth chart than Delgado. Corbin especially is a good break out candidate in 2013. I'm with you. thought Upton would garner a much bigger haul. Especially after what Seattle was willing to part with. Prado is an asset, but the secondary parts in this deal...blah. Arizona must sign Prado, or this deal is a disaster. If JUpton and Bauer both have big years, Towers will be looking for work.

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January 27, 2013
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Gregg Lavoie said:

	Poor Miggy In addition to this great analysis, I think Arizona catcher Miguel Montero's fantasy value takes a pretty major hit with this deal as well.
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January 25, 2013
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