Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro has made two All-Star teams despite being just 22 years old. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Still in search of a trade partner for outfielder Justin Upton, the Arizona Diamondbacks asked the Chicago Cubs for 22-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro in exchange for Upton, ESPN Chicago’s Bruce Levine reports.

The Cubs balked at the offer and cut off talks, according to Levine.

Arizona has openly discussed Upton’s availability during the offseason, and he has be on been rumored to be on the trading block throughout the past year. But general manager Kevin Towers’ asking price has been too high for teams’ liking, as he has reportedly sought top prospects Jurickson Profar and Mike Olt from the Rangers, and/or 24-year-old shortstop Elvis Andrus.

The Diamondbacks’ interest in Castro would seem to indicate that they are still interested in acquiring a middle infielder, despite the presence of second baseman Aaron Hill and their deal for young Reds shortstop Didi Gregorius in December.

Upton used his limited no-trade clause to reject an agreed-upon deal to the Mariners for four prospects earlier this month. He has three years and $38 million left on his contract.

Castro, a two-time All-Star, hit .283 with 14 home runs and 25 stolen bases last season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed in principle on a trade that would have sent star young outfielder Justin Upton to the Seattle Mariners. But Upton rejected the trade, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi at Fox Sports.

Upton’s no-trade clause contains four teams, and the Mariners are one of the four on the list. Rosenthal and Morosi report that Arizona would have received a package of young players back from the Mariners. The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro, who confirmed the report, called the Mariners’ package “substantial.”

Can confirm report by @ken_rosenthal and @jonmorosi. Told package from Mariners was “substantial” but Upton blocked the deal.

— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) January 11, 2013

Rosenthal later reported that the Mariners offered one of top prospects Danny Hultzen, James Paxton or Taijuan Walker — plus Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush and Stephen Pryor.

Upton has been the subject of trade rumors for more than two years now, and his name began popping up once again last week with the Mariners, Rangers and Braves. The Diamondbacks have stepped up efforts to move Upton after signing Cody Ross late last month, giving them a surplus of outfielders.

Rosenthal and Morosi surmise that both sides could be making a play to gain leverage in the latest discussions:

Upton’s rejection of the Mariners could be an attempt by him to leverage the Diamondbacks into sending him to a more preferred destination. The D-Backs, meanwhile, could be telling Upton that Seattle is his only option if he wants to leave Arizona, and for that reason it’s always possible that a deal could revive.

The 25-year-old Upton is still under contract for the next three years for a total of $38.5 million. Upton’s stats regressed a bit in his third major-league season in 2012, as he hit .280 with 17 homers, 67 RBI and a .785 OPS.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are once again open to trading outfielder Justin Upton and have gotten “strong interest” from at least three teams, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi reported Thursday. According to the report, the three teams intrigued are the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves.

The Diamondbacks’ intentions remain foggy at this point, according to the report. There is some thought that they would rather trade outfielder Jason Kubel, but he would not provide nearly as much potential return in any deal.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported earlier Thursday that the Diamondbacks were “very much open” to discussing a deal for Upton and that they viewed the Mariners as a potential destination.

The Diamondbacks have viewed Seattle as a possible landing spot for Upton, but remember, he would have to approve any deal to Mariners.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 3, 2013

The 25-year-old Upton has been the subject of trade rumors for months and even years now. Upton’s stats regressed a bit in his third major-league season in 2012, as he hit .280 with 17 homers, 67 RBI and a .785 OPS. The Diamondbacks have a surplus of outfielders after signing Cody Ross late last month.

For his part, Upton tweeted that he wasn’t “going to worry about this trade nonsense” on Thursday:

Appreciate the support. This is the view from my hotel room. Going to enjoy it and not worry about this trade nonsense twitter.com/JUS10UP10/stat…

—Justin Upton (@JUS10UP10) January 3, 2013

The Rangers have long been linked to interest and efforts to trade for Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton. The latest round of speculation has included a multi-team deal including Upton and various configurations of six teams including the Diamondbacks, Indians, Rays, Royals and Mariners.

Peter Gammons gave some weight to the four-team trade rumors via Twitter:

If you don't believe the multi-team Upton trade talk, Wednesday night a Rangers official called an Astros officisl and said, "we got Upton."—
Peter Gammons (@pgammo) December 07, 2012

Upton hit .246/.298/.454 in 633 plate appearances with the Rays this season. He hit 28 home runs and the Rangers believe he can benefit from hitting in Rangers Ballpark, statistically proven to be a hitter’s park.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies are discussing a blockbuster trade involving outfielder Justin Upton and pitcher Cliff Lee, according ESPN.com’s Pedro Gomez.

The Diamondbacks, one of the more active teams at the Winter Meetings based on reports out of Nashville, could land Lee for Upton, with the Phillies sending additional money to Arizona, Gomez tweeted.

Phillies and Diamondbacks are discussing Justin Upton for Cliff Lee. Money coming to AZ would also be involved.—
Pedro Gomez (@pedrogomezESPN) December 04, 2012

But Arizona general manager Kevin Towers has long coveted a young shortstop, and Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan is reporting that Upton and Lee could simply be the foundation of a larger deal.

Arizona discussing all sorts of three- and four-way deals to get shortstop. Upton for Cliff Lee (per @pedrogomezESPN) could just be a start.—
Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 04, 2012

Source insists Diamondbacks aren't actively talking Cliff Lee for Justin Upton. Lots of interest in D-backs' young pitching.—
Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 04, 2012

Multiple other reporters are refuting the rumor, including CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury and CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman, as well as Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson:

Kirk Gibson on Justin Upton-for-Cliff Lee rumor: "I can tell you right now that's not going to happen.'' #dbacks—
Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) December 04, 2012

The Phillies reportedly considered trading Lee, 34, at last season’s deadline in the midst of just the second year of a five-year, $120-million contract. He finished the season with a 3.16 ERA and 207 strikeouts to 28 walks. During the 2009 offseason, Lee was involved in a stunning three-way trade that sent him to the Mariners for prospects, with the Blue Jays also sending Roy Halladay to Philadelphia for prospects.

Upton, 25,  hit .280 with 17 home runs in 2012. He was drafted by Arizona with the first overall pick in 2005, and has slugged 108 homers in four-plus seasons amid repeated trade talk.

Justin Upton will likely stay with the Diamondbacks. (Ralph Freso, Getty Images)

The Arizona Diamondbacks will keep Justin Upton on the trading block, but one source with the team insists that the right fielder is “90% likely” to be with the team for spring training.

This, from a CBS Sports report that also states Upton would be open to a trade, even if it’s to a team on the “no-trade” list in his contract. The Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers have been mentioned as possible destinations for Upton, but the Rangers seem unwilling to meet Arizona’s demands.

Upton is coming off a 2012 season where he hit .280 with 67 RBIs and 17 home runs.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are reportedly trying to trade Justin Upton yet again. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are reportedly engaged in active discussions yet again to trade right fielder Justin Upton, with one Major League source saying there’s an “80-20″ chance Upton will be playing elsewhere next season, according to a report Wednesday afternoon from Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

The news shouldn’t come as much of a surprise; the team had reportedly discussed ways to trade Upton as far back as the annual General Manager’s meeting in 2010 and again this year prior to the July 31 MLB non-waiver deadline.

Despite those reports, however, Diamondbacks General Manager Ken Kendrick told a Phoenix-based radio station in October that Upton, 25, is “highly likely” to return to the team next season. He had also said in July, with days before the non-waiver deadline, that the team is better off with Upton and that “this whole thing” with reports of ongoing trade talks has “gotten way more attention than it deserves.”

Upton is owed nearly $40 million over the next three seasons and has a no-trade clause in his contract. As of last season, there were reportedly four teams on the list: The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. According to Rosenthal, however, that list has since changed.

One player mentioned in the report who could be brought in if a trade is executed is the Texas Rangers’ shortstop, Elvis Andrus.

Upton finished last season hitting .280/.355/.430 with 17 home runs and 67 RBIs. In August, he and his brother B.J. of the Tampa Bay Rays each hit their 100th career home run within minutes of each other.

The Upton brothers have been linked in major league history ever since they were drafted, B.J. second overall in 2002 and Justin first overall in 2005.

On Friday, the pair reached a career milestone within minutes of one another.

In Philadelphia, Arizona Diamondbacks rightfielder Justin Upton hit a solo home run to left field off Phillies righthander Kyle Kendrick in the second inning for his 100th career home run.

Not too long afterward, in Tampa, Rays centerfielder B.J. Upton hit a solo home run to center off Baltimore Orioles righty Tommy Hunter in the fourth inning for his 100th career home run.

Coincidentally, both homers also put their teams ahead 1-0.

Whitney Holtzman of MLB.com points out another coincidence:

Not only did B.J. and Justin Upton both hit their 100th career homers tonight, they also both hit No. 99 the same night.—
Whitney Holtzman (@WHoltzman) August 04, 2012

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com says that the Uptons are the sixth pair of brothers to both reach the 100-home plateau.

The final list (I think) is DiMaggios, Boones, Alomars, Boyers, Meusels and Uptons. Brothers with 100 homers each.—
Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) August 04, 2012

Justin Upton reportedly won’t be traded, says the Diamondbacks owner. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

With approximately one week before the MLB trade deadline, Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick said the team is better off with right-fielder Justin Upton and that rumors of his departure have gotten an undeserving amount of attention, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic:

Kendrick, speaking from his vacation home in Colorado, said it’s a “reasonable assumption” Upton will be a Diamondback the rest of the season. “I think we’re better off with him on our team,” Kendrick said. “I this whole thing has gotten way more attention than it deserves.”

Kendrick confirmed that the team will not make a major trade before the July 31 deadline. After the season, however, he said changes could be made, though nothing “dramatic.” No one on the team is untouchable, he said, and that while general manager Kevin Towers won’t be actively calling other franchises to gauge interest in Upton, “if a player is mentioned by other clubs, he’ll listen.”

Upton is hitting .274 on the season, with eight home runs and 41 RBIs. He finished the 2011 season batting .289, recording 31 home runs, 88 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.

“It’s a mystery why Justin can be so great at times and other times not be that great. It’s frustrating for him and, when I put my fan hat on, frustrating for me. … But I’m a big fan of Justin. I absolutely feel his best years are ahead of him.”

Justin Upton is only batting .264 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs a season after finishing 4th in the NL MVP race. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Arizona Diamondbacks have made it no secret that they are willing to listen to offers from other teams about the services of right fielder Justin Upton. If Upton is traded he can block trades to four teams, reports FoxSports.com.

The four teams are the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs.

Upton, 24, has slumped this season. He went 0 for 10 last weekend against the Chicago Cubs and is hitting .254 with no home runs in his past 17 games.

Upton is under contract with the Diamondbacks through 2015 and is batting .264 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs this season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are becoming “serious bidders” for outfielder Justin Upton, who the Arizona Diamondbacks have said they would trade for the right price, ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported Sunday on Twitter.

#Pirates emerging as serious bidder for Justin Upton. More on that and other trade buzz on the 12:30 ET edition of Baseball Tonight!

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 15, 2012

The Pirates have been mentioned before as a possible destination for the 24-year-old Upton, who Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers said he would trade for the right price. Upton has also been loosely linked to the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers.

The Diamondbacks would likely be interested in Pirates’ top pitching prospects Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, the PIrates’ two first-round picks in the 2011 and 2010 drafts, respectively.

On Saturday, Towers said that he had discussed the trade rumors with Upton. He said he told Upton his policy of listening to offers on him is nothing unusual.

“I said, ‘Hey, this is no different than the way I approached it even before you got to know me in 2010. I listen on everybody,’” Towers said. “We’re in the information gathering business. I said, ‘If something gets close, you’ll be a part of the process. I’m not going to shock you with something. If something is coming down and I think it’s close, there will be a heads up.’ I said, ‘At this point in time, a lot of people are kicking tires. Your name is out there a lot, most of it is untrue.’”

In 82 games this year, Upton is batting .264 with a .735 OPS. He has seven homers and 37 RBI while stealing 10 bases.

Justin Upton sat down with Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers about trade rumors involving Upton. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers told reporters Saturday that he had discussed trade rumors with star young right fielder Justin Upton, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reported.

Towers said the pair had a “good conversation,” and that he thinks Upton “gets it.” Towers has said he would be open to dealing the 24-year-old Upton for the right price. Towers also said that he told Upton his policy of listening to offers on him is no change from of his players. From Gilbert’s report:

“I said, ‘Hey, this is no different than the way I approached it even before you got to know me in 2010. I listen on everybody,’” Towers said. “We’re in the information gathering business. I said, ‘If something gets close, you’ll be a part of the process. I’m not going to shock you with something. If something is coming down and I think it’s close, there will be a heads up.’ I said, ‘At this point in time, a lot of people are kicking tires. Your name is out there a lot, most of it is untrue.’”

Upton has been loosely linked to the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates as potential trade partners for the Diamondbacks.

Upton is batting .268 with seven homers and 37 RBI in 81 games this season. He has a .744 OPS and 10 stolen bases.

Justin Upton or Carlos Quentin could be on their way to Pittsburgh this year (Christian Petersen, Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a surprise contender at the All-Star break, and they are looking to get stronger. FOX Sports‘ Jon Paul Morosi reports that the team has expressed interest in The San Diego Padres’ Carlos Quentin and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton, both power-hitting outfielders that would add a jolt of offense to the Pirates line-up.

The Pirates have gotten an impressive amount of production from outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who has a .359 batting average with a .411 on-base percentage and 16 home runs at the halfway point of the season. However, the team could benefit from having a cleanup hitter later in the batting order as McCutchen figures to face less pitches in the season’s second half and into the playoffs.

Upton, who has hit .267 with seven home runs and 36 RBIs has been mentioned in trade discussions recently, while Carlos Quentin has achieved similar numbers with the Padres.

Major league sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com that if the Arizona Diamondbacks fall out of contention for a playoff spot, they would consider offers for rightfielder Justin Upton.

Rosenthal writes: “A trade of Upton would become realistic only if the D-Backs became outright sellers, which is hardly certain given the unsettled state of the NL West.”

The D-Backs entered Friday night’s game seven games out of first place in the NL West and 5 1/2 games back in the wild-card race.

Rosenthal’s and Morosi’s sources say that shortstop Stephen Drew and third baseman Ryan Roberts could also be moved.

Upton was hitting .266 with seven homers and 34 RBI entering Friday’s game. He is signed through the 2015 season.

Kendrick is none too pleased with a couple of his franchise’s cornerstones. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Arizona Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick called out two of his stars on Tuesday in a radio interview (audio clips here).

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has the transcript of Kendrick’s comments.

On Drew, a 29-year-old shortstop who missed the second half of the 2011 season with a severe ankle injury and has not played this season, Kendrick said: “I’m going to be real direct about Stephen. I think Stephen should have been out there playing before now, frankly. I, for one, am disappointed. I’m going to be real candid and say Stephen and his representatives are more focused on where Stephen is going to be a year from now than on going out and supporting the team that’s paying his salary. All you can do is hope that the player is treating the situation with integrity. Frankly, we have our concerns.”

Drew is making $7.75 million this season and has a $10 million mutual option for 2013.

On Upton, a 24-year-old rightfielder who is hitting .243 with five home runs and 20 RBIs after finishing fourth in NL MVP voting in 2011, Kendrick said: “I think Justin is an enigma at this point. I know he had an injury (thumb) early on and may be a little bit of a nagging injury. But he’s played. He’s certainly not the Justin Upton that he has been in the past and that we would expect of him. He’s 24 years old and it’s time for him to be a consistent performer and right now this year he’s not been that.”

Upton is making $6.75 million this season and has another three years at $38.5 million remaining on his contract.