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Phillies considering Justin Upton for Cliff Lee trade, reports say

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Philadelphia is in talks with Arizona to bring Justin Upton to the Phillies, although they'd likely have to give up Cliff Lee to acquire the talented young outfielder.

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

The Philadelphia Phillies might make a splash to land a major outfielder, as Pedro Gomez of ESPN reports that the team is in talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks to acquire right fielder Justin Upton in exchange for Cliff Lee.

Upton, the No. 1 pick in the 2005 MLB Draft, has had a very consistent MLB career, hitting .278 on his career with around 20 homers each of the past few seasons. Lee has been consistent as well, keeping his ERA below 4.00 in each of his five stops since 2008, including two good seasons in his second stint with the Phillies. But Lee is 34 and has over $20 million on his contract every year through 2015, while Upton is 25. Gomez reports that the Phillies would chip in money to the Diamondbacks to pay for Lee's contract.

The Phillies have been in the market for an outfielder for awhile, and were in the hunt for Upton's big brother, B.J., who eventually signed a 5-year, $75 million contract with the Atlanta Braves. There was some talk of the team pursuing Josh Hamilton as well.