Report: Blue Jays a frontrunner to land Melvin Upton Jr.

Melvin Upton Jr. (Lenny Ignelzi/AP)

The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles are the leaders to land outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. from the San Diego Padres, reports Jon Heyman.

Toronto has also been linked to Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner, scouting his most recent outing on Thursday. The Blue Jays and Padres reportedly differ on Cashner’s value, and talks between the clubs have not progressed enough to be considered serious at this point.

Through 91 games, the 31-year-old Upton is batting .259/.307/.444 with 16 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He owns a lifetime batting average of .277 at Rogers Centre, suiting up in 55 contests north of the border.

Upton’s best season came in 2007 as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays when he contributed 4.4 wins above replacement. He has one year remaining on his current contract and is slated to earn a base salary of more than $16 million in 2017.

If Upton were to be traded to Baltimore, it appears the Padres would be acquiring struggling pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez as well as a prospect in return.

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