Jason Kubel's name had been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the offseason until Justin Upton was dealt to the Braves.

"It's all talk, but when it's all you hear, it's pretty hard not to think about it," Kubel said. "I was just prepared for pretty much anything. I just would have dealt with it whatever had happened. If it was just me, it would be no big deal, but I've got to take the family around and we already had a place here set up the way we needed it, so it would have been a little tough. But we would have made it work."

Kubel signed a two-year contract before last season worth $16 million.