Justin Upton

If you think the Atlanta Braves did well in the Jason Heyward trade, just wait until you see how they do in the Justin Upton trade.

Or so they hope, anyway.

You can feel the urgency between Major League Baseball teams and players picking up each day. There's been a pattern in recent years where it took months for deals and trades to happen. That hasn't been the case so far this offseason, which leads to more excitement and unpredictability. 

The MLB offseason finally had its first blockbuster trade on Monday, but many more are likely coming before the season begins.

Jason Heyward was dealt from the Atlanta Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals, via the Braves' Twitter account. Reliever Jason Walden was also included by Atlanta in exchange for Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins.

The Atlanta Braves announced on Tuesday night that outfielder Justin Upton strained his left hamstring. He's listed as day to day:

The two-time All-Star was removed after the first inning, making way for Jordan Schafer, per Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan in Atlanta:

The offseason that followed the 2012 season could have cured some of the problems the Texas Rangers have faced since the start of the 2013 campaign.

The 2013 MLB All-Star Game starting lineup revealing is set for 6:30 ET on Saturday. Some of the races are very close until the end, including the battle between Carlos Gonzalez, Justin Upton and Bryce Harper for two National League outfield spots. Gonzalez and Upton are two similar talents, and here we're going to take a look at what makes them tick.

Batting

The Upton brothers got a little too close for comfort on Tuesday night.

B.J. Upton and Justin Upton collided in left-centerfield on Tuesday night as the Atlanta Braves took on the New York Mets.

You can clearly see B.J. waving off his younger brother, but Justin didn't hear him and the two collided right as B.J. makes the catch and hangs on.

The Atlanta Braves (16-9) have all but wrapped up the first month of the 2013 season.

Highs include a 10-game winning streak and a sweep of the National League East preseason favorite, Washington Nationals. The low point came over the weekend as the Detroit Tigers swept the Braves.The tough series with the Tigers knocked a few players' grades down a letter.

It's pretty clear that the Chicago Cubs have bullpen issues. For the third-straight outing, closer Carlos Marmol struggled in relief and the Cubbies lost a heartbreaker, 6-5, to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.

Despite leading 5-1 heading into the last two innings, the Cubs bullpen imploded to give this one away. The collapse culminated in home runs off the bats of B.J. and Justin Upton in the bottom of the ninth.