Mets trade rumors: Mets said no to Padres' demands for Justin Upton

The Mets and Padres have been talking about a deal for Justin Upton, but the Mets have thus far been unwilling to pay the prospect price San Diego is asking, says Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman mentions that the Mets have been talking about trading for hitters like Upton, Gerardo Parra, Jay Bruce, Marlon Byrd, Will Venable, possibly Carlos Gomez, and others, even after trading for Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson yesterday.

Upton has been in the big leagues since 2007 but will turn just 28 years old in late August. He's a career .272/.352/.472 hitter with a 120 wRC+. This year, he's hitting .248/.326/.420 with 15 home runs and a 111 wRC+. He was signifcantly better in two years with the Braves before that, posting a 128 wRC+ in 2013 and a 133 wRC+ in 2014.

For now, the Mets have called up Michael Conforto to take Michael Cuddyer's place and play left field alongside center fielder Juan Lagares and right fielder Curtis Granderson. While Conforto looks like he will turn into a regular major league hitter, it would make sense if the Mets were to acquire an established major league outfielder who can hit to start for them as they try to make the postseason for the first time since 2006.

Of course, Conforto is the Mets' top prospect at the moment, which means the Padres could be asking for him. Heyman also mentions shortstop Amed Rosario as a player the Padres could want, as he's one of the Mets' better prospects right now, too. Upton's salary figures to be a factor here, too. He is earning $14.5 million this year, the last of his current contract, and the Mets would presumably want the Padres to pick up a significant portion of that if they are going to give up a top prospect or two.