Toronto Mike

Blue Jays Acquire Melvin Upton, Jr. from Padres

The Toronto Blue Jays have sent a Class A prospect to San Diego in exchange for Melvin Upton, Jr., who used to be known as B.J. Upton.

Upton is hitting .256 with 16 home runs, 45 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases so far this year. He brings speed and power to an outfield that will likely lose Jose Bautista to free agency. He's expensive, but reports suggest the Padres will be paying a good chunk of his salary.

If you're curious as to why B.J. changed his name back to Melvin, B.J. stood for "Bossman Junior" as his father, Manny, was nicknamed "Bossman". Upton stated his desire to use his actual name was a result of teammates and fans knowing him as B. J. and feeling the name was irrelevant to him away from the ball diamond.

Now you know, the rest of the story.

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