Juan Uribe giving good vibes to Braves, doesn't feel badly about trade
It's usually a strange transition for a player to be traded to another team, but it's an even more peculiar experience when a player enters a series on one team and ends it with the other, as Juan Uribe recently did with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves.
Nonetheless, Uribe, who was emotional after learning of his fate, has been making a good impression on his new teammates on the Braves.
It's hardly a surprise from a man who has a reputation as a perpetual team player.
"Greg Walker loves him, so we always talked about him all the time," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, per the Albany Herald, referring to the former Braves hitting coach, who was a coach for the White Sox while Uribe played in Chicago. "You get a good feel about people when other people who know them always talk good about them."
Uribe, who was beloved in the Dodgers' clubhouse, had nothing but positive remarks about his former club, but he's now ready to move on and have an impact on his new team.
"I had some great times with the Dodgers," Uribe said. "I want to thank God for the opportunity and the chance I got with the Dodgers, now the opportunity I'm going to get with the Braves. I'm happy to still be playing baseball. Anytime anybody wants me, it's a good thing."
The veteran infielder admitted he was surprised by the deal, but again saw the silver lining in the move.
"It was a little odd, but at the end of the day, I'm playing baseball," he said. "That's what I've always done, that's what I want to continue to do. … I don't feel bad about the trade. I would have felt bad if they would have traded me to a soccer team, a basketball team, or a football team. They traded me to another baseball team, so I'm happy."
The Braves are certainly happy to have Uribe's bat and slick fielding on their side now, particularly after he played a big role in the Dodgers defeating the Braves in the 2013 NLDS.
"[Uribe] is dangerous, as we know from 2013," Gonzalez said. "It's a good pickup."
(h/t Albany Herald)
Photo credit: Harry How/Getty Images
