Sep. 29, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton (10) is congratulated by pitcher Trevor Cahill (35) after scoring against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

The deal will be completed as soon as pending physicals are completed.

Prado is the prize of the players received from Atlanta. The 6’1, 190 lbs. Venezuelan’s versatility is evident by the many different positions he has played during his seven year major league career. He can play first base, second base, third base and both corner outfield positions. He had a good season last year hitting .301 with 10 home runs and 70 RBI’s in 156 games for the Braves. The 29-year-old Prado is a career .295 hitter and has hit over .300 in three of his last four seasons. The D’backs will benefit from his ability to play multiple positions and the fact that he mashes left-handed pitching, hitting .323 against lefties last season. Prado is a solid contact hitter who doesn’t strike out much (69 K’s last season in 617 at-bats).

Sept. 19, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Martin Prado (14) fields a base hit by Miami Marlins center fielder Gorkys Hernandez (not pictured) during the first inning at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

One group of D’backs that is happy to see Prado with the organization are D’backs pitchers. Over the last three seasons, Prado has worn out the D’backs pitching staff, hitting .357 with two home runs and 14 RBI’s in 70 at-bats. He has also hit fairly well in Chase Field over that span, hitting .270 at his new home park. Look for Prado to bounce around at a number of different positions throughout the season, but to primarily play third base for the Snakes in the upcoming year.

Delgado is ranked the 3rd best prospect in the Braves organization and 46th overall by Baseball America . The right-hander made 17 starts for the Braves last season going 4-9 with a 4.37 ERA.  The 22-year-old Panamanian product also spent time with Class AAA Gwinnett, going 4-3 with a 4.06 ERA in eight starts in the International League. During the winter, the 6’3, 200 lbs. Delgado is pitching in the Dominican Winter League with the Tigres del Licey, where he is 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA in 6 starts. He will have a chance to make the team out of spring training, but look for him to begin the season in Class AAA Reno.

Spruill is a right-handed pitcher who spent last season with Class AA Mississippi of the Southern League. He is rated the 8th best prospect in the Braves system according to Baseball America. The 6’5, 190 lbs. hurler posted a 9-11 record with a 3.67 ERA in 27 starts last season.  He was named to the Southern League Mid-Season All-Star team last year. He participated in the highly regarded Arizona Fall League this past off-season and performed well. He recorded a 2-2 record with a 3.63 ERA in seven starts for the Phoenix Desert Dogs.  Spruill is best known for his control and durability. The 23-year-old is formerly a second round draft pick by the Braves in the 2008 MLB Draft out of Kell High School in Marietta, GA.

Ahmed is a shortstop that played last season in Class A Advanced Lynchburg of the Carolina League. The 22-year-old infielder hit .269 with 6 home runs and 49 RBI’s last season. The 6’3, 205 lbs. shortstop was named an All-Star in the Carolina League this season and was the Carolina Championship Series Most Valuable Player. Ahmed is a former second round draft pick (85th 0verall) of the Braves in the 2010 draft out of the University of Connecticut.

Drury is a third baseman that played last season with Class A Rome in the South Atlantic League. The  6’2, 190 lbs. Drury is rated the 10th best prospect in the Braves organization by Baseball America. The 19-year-old hit .229 with 6 home runs and 51 RBI’s in 125 games last season. He was drafted by Atlanta in the 13th round in 2010 out of Grants Pass High School in Oregon.

May 12, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton at bat against the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The D’backs allegedly have asked for young shortstop Andrelton Simmons, but the Braves have balked at that and look to be building a deal around pitching. They have numerous pitchers that could be attractive to Arizona including Julio Teheran, J.R. Graham and Luke Sims. Major league pitcher Mike Minor (11-10, 4.12 ERA in 2012) has also been mentioned in previous discussion regarding the two teams.

Atlanta would seem to be an attractive destination for Upton as his brother B.J. was signed by the Braves this off-season and the two brothers remain close.

Upton rejected a trade earlier this month to Seattle and it appears that the Upton-D’backs divorce could be settled in the next couple of days.

The Baltimore Orioles have also been busy as they look to acquire Jason Kubel from the D’backs. Kubel is coming off a season in which he hit .253 with 30 home runs and 90 RBI’s and could be a valuable addition to an Orioles team who is trying to replace the power that left with Mark Reynolds. The market for Kubel won’t net Arizona anywhere near what they could get for Upton and that could be the reason why Kubel might remain with the club.

Sept. 11, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jason Kubel against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It seems to be whichever deal might be sealed first is the direction in which the D’backs will go. If it’s Upton, then they keep Kubel. If it’s Kubel, then they keep Upton. Stay tuned to see how it all plays out.

Aug. 28, 2012; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton in the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

That dance partner stepped onto the floor this week in the form of the Seattle Mariners, who by many baseball writers accounts, put a package on the table that the D’backs accepted. This prospect-laden package that the Mariners offered was supposed to seal the deal and this entire saga would be over.

Upton blew the deal up though, when he exercised his limited no-trade clause in his contract (Seattle is one of four teams he could nix a trade to) to remain in the Valley of the Sun . While this will continue the Upton speculation for the time being, this could not have been good for the relationship between Upton and management. If anyone was holding out hope that these sides would patch up their differences and figure out a way to peacefully co-exist, that seems very, very unlikely.

When it comes to the D’backs outfield conundrum, GM Kevin Towers has not managed this entire situation well from my point of view. He was in a very difficult situation when we had four outfielders and teams knew we would have to potentially get rid of one. When he signed Cody Ross, he seemed to be giving away any potential leverage he had left in making a quality deal. If he thought that he was getting low-ball type offers when he had four outfielders, imagine the offers he is getting with five outfielders.

Feb 24, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks executive vice president and general manager Kevin Towers (right) and manager Kirk Gibson during spring training at Salt River Fields. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Which makes the Seattle offer a minor miracle by all accounts. According to experts, Seattle was actually offering too much for Upton.  The deal included top pitching prospect Taijuan Walker, offensively-gifted shortstop prospect Nick Franklin and two more prospects, believed to be young major league pitchers Stephen Pryor, a right-hander, and Charlie Furbush, a lefthander. According to CBS Sports, the package was notable in that several competing executives expressed surprise at how much Towers got for Upton. Walker is considered one of baseball’s very best pitching prospects and Franklin is an exceptional hitter by many scouts in the minor leagues. But, when asking around one National League executive called that package “a major overpay” and an AL exec summarized it as “steep.”

Towers finally pulled the trigger on a deal that he felt would get value for Upton and the mercurial outfielder demolished it. This had to be mindbogglingly frustrating for the aggressive GM and while he will continue to preach patience in any deal that he may strike, he had to be furious that Upton nixed the deal.

I am now definitely convinced that Upton will be the player traded to alleviate the log jam in the outfield and that he will not be in a Diamondbacks uniform in Spring Training.

While I was holding out hope that they could patch up their differences, the organization just needs to end this saga for the team’s sake moving forward. The last thing manager Kirk Gibson needs is a major distraction as he heads into this season off of a disappointing campaign last season. It is extremely unfortunate, that for whatever the reason may be, that Upton and the organization do not seem to be a match anymore. The sky is the limit for the outfielder and maybe a change of scenery is what is needed for him to realize his full potential. But, it is extremely disheartening that this will not happen in Arizona.

My only caveat to the realization that Upton will most likely be gone is that Towers needs to continue to hold out for a good deal. He needs to keep grinding away and hope that he can strike a deal soon with the likes of Texas, Atlanta or Baltimore. Unfortunately for all involved, it needs to be done and the marriage between Upton and the D’backs needs to be dissolved for all to prosper in the future.