The Justin Upton trade (Dec. 9, 2014)

The trade: The Braves traded Upton and RHP Aaron Northcraft to the Padres for LHP Max Fried, OF Dustin Peterson, IF Jace Peterson and OF Mallex Smith.

How it happened: In his first offseason as San Diego’s general manager, A.J. Preller went all-in on transforming the perpetually also-ran Padres into contenders. He reshaped his roster with trades for outfielders Matt Kemp and Wil Myers, closer Craig Kimbrel, starter James Shields and others. His biggest move was acquiring Upton, a two-time All-Star who’d compiled 20.4 career WAR by age 27, to complete his outfield. The rebuilding Braves received a pair of unrelated Petersons, the speedy Smith and the prized prospect of the haul, the 20-year-old lefty Fried.

The results: Preller’s go-for-broke strategy didn’t work. The Padres finished a disappointing 74-88 in 2015, although Upton contributed 28 homers and 81 RBIs. The Padres gave him a qualifying offer and received draft pick compensation when he signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent. They drafted Hudson Potts, an infielder ranked No. 23 in the system by MLB.com.

The outcome for the Braves’ half of the trade remains to be seen. Smith has since been traded twice more, to the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays, while Jace Peterson is a free agent after three mediocre years for the Braves. Fried missed two seasons after Tommy John surgery but made his big league debut in 2017 and is the Braves’ No. 8 prospect, according to MLB.com, while Dustin Peterson reached Triple-A Gwinnett last season and is ranked No. 14.

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