Major League Baseball

Braves go batty for Uggla

Published Nov. 17, 2010 2:24 a.m. ET

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Ken Rosenthal

Whether Dan Uggla made the right decision to turn down the Florida Marlins’ four-year, $48 million offer is a story for another day.

Maybe Uggla will get comparable money from the Braves on a long-term extension. Maybe he will get it from another team in free agency.

The short-term effect of his decision — the stunning trade that sent him from the Marlins to the Braves on Tuesday — does nothing less than change the face of the National League East.

The Braves fill a need that has eluded them for years, acquiring a right-handed slugger who is — get this — a .354/.399/.652 career hitter at Atlanta's Turner Field, with 12 home runs in 181 at-bats.

The Marlins, meanwhile, are left to answer the question: Is that all you could get for the only second baseman in history with four 30-homer seasons?

Well, considering the economics of the situation — Uggla stands to earn at least $10 million in his final year of arbitration — the Marlins actually did OK.

Omar Infante was an All-Star utility man last season who finished third in the NL with a .321 batting average. Mike Dunn is a left-handed reliever who performed well under pressure in both the regular season and postseason of his rookie year.

The Marlins also intend to redirect part of their savings toward a three-year, $18 million contract for free-agent catcher John Buck — in effect, getting three major-league players for one. Infante, like Uggla, can become a free agent after next season.

Uggla will stay at second base for the Braves, with Martin Prado moving to third. If Chipper Jones recovers well enough from knee surgery to remain at third, Prado will move to left field.

The Braves were fifth in the NL in runs last season but struggled to score after losing Jones in early August. They still could stand to upgrade in left and/or center, depending upon what happens with Jones. But Uggla alone makes them better — and, as a resident of Nashville, Tenn., he likely will be inclined to sign with the Braves long-term.

The Marlins clearly will not be the same offensively without Uggla, who is an outstanding teammate and hard-nosed player, as well as a terrific power hitter.

Uggla, though, is also a below-average defender. Now that he is gone, the Marlins finally can evolve into more of a pitching-and-defense club.

Infante can play either second or third. Emilio Bonifacio, a low-on-base hitter with speed, also is a candidate at second. Matt Dominguez, a prospect with an outstanding glove, could win the job at third.

The Marlins also have addressed their bullpen in a major way, acquiring four relievers — lefties Dunn from the Braves and Dustin Richardson from the Red Sox, and righties Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica from the Padres — in the past week.

They have a major question in center field, where their leading candidate, Chris Coghlan, is coming off knee surgery. But Bonifacio is an option in center, as are prospects Scott Cousins and, to a lesser extent, Bryan Petersen.

The Marlins plan to increase payroll and still would benefit from the addition of a veteran starting pitcher. It’s difficult to say that they are a better team than they were yesterday. But when Uggla rejected their $48 million offer, they felt they had no choice.

It was time to move on.

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