Padres outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. is on the move, but not to the AL East team we all expected.

The Padres traded the elder Upton brother and cash considerations to the Blue Jays for minor league righty Hansel Rodriguez, the team announced Tuesday morning. The Padres happen to be in Toronto playing the Blue Jays, so Upton only needs to change dugouts this week.

A few days ago it was rumored Upton would be heading to the Orioles for Ubaldo Jimenez and two prospects, though obviously that deal did not come together. The deal fell apart over the financials. The Blue Jays swooped in to to get him instead.

Upton, 31, is batting .256/.304/.439 (100 OPS+) with 16 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 45 RBI in 92 games with San Diego this year. He's spent time in all three outfield spots, though he has seen his most action in left. Upton has spent the majority of his career in center field.

Rodriguez, 19, has a 3.06 ERA with 26 walks and 11 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings this season. MLB.com ranked Rodriguez as Toronto's 18th best prospect before the season and said the "right-hander's arm strength offers plenty to dream on."

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Melvin Upton Jr. is the newest Blue Jay. USATSI

This is certainly not the type of trade that will put the Blue Jays over the hump and make them AL East favorites, but Upton is an upgrade to their bench, and every little upgrade counts. Here are five things to know about the trade sending Upton to Toronto.

1. The Padres are eating some money

Upton is owed another $22 million through the end of next season as part of the original five-year, $72.25 million contract he signed with the Braves four years ago. The Padres are eating money to facilitate this trade.

San Diego is not exactly a large market team with money to spare, but the upside here is getting a better prospect in return. It's smart business by the Padres, who need to accumulate as much young talent as possible to kick start this rebuild. And if that means eating some money to trade Upton, so be it.

2. Upton figures to be an outfield 'rover'

Toronto's current outfield consists of Michael Saunders in left and Kevin Pillar, in center, and of course Jose Bautista in right. Bautista missed a month with a toe injury but returned this week. The Blue Jays had been using a Junior Lake/Ezequiel Carrera while Bautista was on the shelf.

Upton figures to take over as something of an outfield rover, meaning someone who plays left field one day, center field the next, right field the next, so on and so forth. That allows manager John Gibbons to rotate players in and out of the DH spot, which means Edwin Encarnacion may be spending more time at first base in the future.

Upton is a solid depth player who can be more than a part-time player. It's just hard to see him unseating Saunders (bat) or Pillar (defense) for everyday at-bats given their production. Replacing Bautista sure isn't happening either.

3. The Padres have more moves on the way

The Padres have been aggressively rebuilding and selling off veterans since the offseason. They traded Joaquin Benoit and Craig Kimbrel in the offseason, James Shields earlier in the season, and Drew Pomeranz a few weeks ago. Now Upton is gone.

San Diego still has tradeable assets in Andrew Cashner, who is almost certain to be traded before Monday's trade deadline. Catcher Derek Norris is reportedly on the market as well. Infielder Yangervis Solarte, lefty Ryan Buchter, and outfielder Jon Jay (once back from his broken forearm) could all be of interest to teams around the league.

The Padres are not done, folks. Expect them to be active in the days leading up to the trade deadline even with Shields, Pomeranz, and Upton already traded away.

4. The Blue Jays aren't done either

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Aaron Sanchez is going to be moved to the bullpen at some point. USATSI

With Monday's win over the Padres (TOR 4, SD 2), the Blue Jays are now 13-5 in their last 18 games. They've climbed to within three games of first place in the AL East and have opened up a 1 1/2 game lead for the second Wild Card spot.

The Blue Jays do have some clear needs prior to the trade deadline though, particularly on the pitching staff. Aaron Sanchez, the club's best starter all season, has thrown 132 1/3 innings already, exactly one inning fewer than his career high set in 2014. The team has not been shy about their intentions to control his workload and move him to the bullpen at some point.

Toronto figures to be in the market for a replacement starter and even more bullpen help before the deadline, especially after Drew Storen did not work out and had to be designated for assignment earlier this week.

5. No contract is untradeable

Once again, teams are showing that no contract is truly untradeable. This is now the second time Upton has been traded under his current contract even though he hit a weak .198/.279/.314 (66 OPS+) in two years with the Braves. Atlanta attached him to Kimbrel to unload his contract on the Padres, and now the Padres are sending him to the Blue Jays.

Now, does that mean the terms of the trade are desirable? Not necessarily. But eat enough money and any player is tradeable, even the guys on our top 10 most untradeable contracts list.