Boss Man Junior Upton, a.k.a. B.J. Upton, a.k.a. Melvin Upton Jr. is a man on the rise and a useful addition to the Toronto Blue Jays roster. 

Upton, 31, has a .256/.304/.439 slash line with 16 home runs, 20 stolen bases, and 45 RBI in 92 games with the San Diego Padres this season. He's spent time in all three outfield spots, with the bulk served in left field. 

Yes - left field, the place all-star Michael Saunders presently occupies. 

Acquiring an outfielder this close to the trade deadline, when the Jays clearly have a greater need for pitching, is an obvious curiosity. The Jays already have three very good outfielders in Saunders, Jose Bautista and Kevin Pillar, plus a fine utility option off the bench in Ezequiel Carrera. So why did they add another one?

Good question. Fortunately, there are many good answers. 

Hayhurst: Upton becomes Jays best outfield defender, base stealer

TSN MLB Insider Dirk Hayhurst joins TSN 1150's Game Day with Jim Tatti to discuss the Blue Jays acquisition of Melvin Upton Jr, what he brings to a team contending for first in the AL East, and what the Jays are doing with Sanchez.

First, Upton is a better outfielder than Saunders and Carrera, has better range than Bautista and is a better leadoff option than all of the above. He's an upgrade, even if only in key scenarios. 

Second, depth wins championships and Upton is an above-average bench option who supplies more base-stealing potential than Carrera or Pillar. This is, of course, if the Jays don’t decide to start him immediately.

Third, if they Jays do decide to play Upton in their outfield over Pillar, it gives them more lineup flexibility. Upton can hit leadoff, moving Bautista down the order into a more production-focused role.  

Overall, it makes the lineup and the outfield better for a modest price.

But these are all short-term gains. The Jays also get Upton for 2017 and that’s important as the Jays will most likely see the departure of three big-name free agents in Saunders, Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Of those three, Saunders and Bautista are outfielders. Landing a potential replacement now isn’t a bad move.

Finally, there is the relatively minimal impact on the team’s psychological makeup. To understand that, you need to know a little more about Upton’s background.

I played with Upton in Tampa in 2011 and our paths crossed briefly during spring training. He was a nice guy; affable, approachable and a real teammate. But he also had his fair share of moments not unlike that of many young, successful athletes who’ve never really struggled. I could give my diagnosis, but I’d rather tell you a story and let you draw your own conclusion.

A source once told me that during Upton’s time with the Rays, he was difficult get to position in centre field. That is to say, having him take his position in the correct defensive area of the outfield for shifts, etc., was a chore. It was something Rays management had to nag him about repeatedly. Upton would always line himself up in a certain predetermined distance behind the Rays’ logo, which Upton preferred but management felt was out of position.

After months of unsuccessfully trying to get Upton to relocate, management came up with a plan while the team was out of town for a road series. It had the Tropicana Field grounds grew remove the Rays logo in centre field, then repaint the logo the appropriate amount of feet away so that Upton would now default to the correct defensive position. 

To this day, I’m not sure if Upton knows.

That was years ago, well before Upton’s humbling crucible in Atlanta. Upton’s time there was brutal. When the Braves dumped him onto the Padres, it was just that: unloading a useless player onto someone else’s payroll. 

The Braves owed Upton almost $48 million at the time they threw him overboard and were getting production barely above the Mendoza Line. In fact, in 2013, the year following Upton’s massive contract with the Braves, he hit .184. The following year he hit just .208.

The Upton deal was a mind-boggling bust for the Braves considering his previous years with the Rays: Eight years of .255/.336/.433 and an OPS of .758, with 118 home runs and 232 stolen bases.

His decline was spectacular and the lessons he learned were of the rough, gut check variety. Nothing gives you a wake-up call like a team dumping you to another club that doesn’t want you, but is willing to take on your contract as a bargaining chip for a player they do want. For a big-league star, that’s rock bottom. No amount of logo repaints can fix it.

Now the Padres are shipping out a very different Upton (and a portion of his salary) back to the AL East. To be clear, the Padres aren't dumping as much as they’re selling a productive asset to a team that will make use of it for a very modest return and salary relief. 

The Upton the Blue Jays are getting is tempered, humbled and ready to prove himself. He’s going to get his chance as the Jays make their run at a spot in the postseason.

Upton’s arm is excellent. He will instantly be the best base-stealing threat on the club. He’s a long ways away from that kid who played with the Rays. 

This is a good acquisition for the Blue Jays, now and going forward. If Toronto decides to trade one of their soon-to-be free agents, Upton helps close the production gap.

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Dirk Hayhurst is a former Major League pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres and a best-selling author.

www.DirkHayhurst.com

Follow me and the Garfoose on Twitter: @thegarfoose