"With the trade deadline approaching, the Nationals continue to have interest in acquiring Rays outfielder B.J. Upton, whom they sent a scout to watch during the Rays' series against the Yankees earlier this week.

Upton has two connections to the Nationals. First, General Manager Mike Rizzo drafted with the first overall pick and signed his brother, Justin, when he was the scouting director of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the process, Rizzo came to know the Upton family well.

Second, Upton grew up playing with against Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. They are the same age, and they've have known one another since childhood. Today, Zimmerman said that while he's fine with the current constitution of the team, he would welcome the chance to have Upton join the Nationals.

"I mean, I like the team we have here," Zimmerman said. "Anytime you had talented players to your team, it gives you a better chance to win. That's the ultimate goal. If he's going to help us win, I'd love to have him on our team."

"He's been a supremely talented player ever since I can remember," Zimmerman added. "He's fast, he can hit for power, he's got an unbelievable arm, he can play defense. He's one of those players who as he continues to learn, he's only going to get better."

Upton, 26, has long been dogged by reputation for not extracting the most out of his vast potential. There have also been questions about his effort during games at times. He is one of those players whose raw talent acts like a curse – the things he does not do well tend to overshadow what he does well. Yes, he has a .312 on-base percentage and strikes out once every four plate appearances. He's also hit 15 homers and stolen 23 bases this year while playing elite defense. "