My thoughts:
1. I Heart Omar - Yeah, I hate to see Omar go. I love him. He's a team player and was one of our MVPs last season. But this was the right move. Omar was a super-utility guy. He was not an every day player. He also only had one more year in Atlanta, as we picked up a $2.5M option for one more season recently. So, we could trade him now while his value was WAY over-stated instead of losing him for nothing at the end of the season.
UPDATE: The Marlins wanted Prado initially, but the Braves said "no." Interesting. (HT: Jerry Crasnick, ESPN).
2. Uggla is Perfect - Uggla comes with a few issues, but given we had to give up no prospects to acquire him, and feasible options available for a RH power bat were slim pickens, he is perfect for what the Braves are looking for. I posted his numbers from last season earlier: 100 R, 33 HR, 105 RBI, 4 SB, .287 BA, .877 OPS, with 78 BB and 149 Ks. That is some major power, folks. We're talking 1B/LF/RF power from the 2B position. If he hits close to that, this will be well worth the deal. Uggla is the only 2B to start his career with 5 straight 20+ HR seasons. (HT: Talking Chop). He also hit .354 w/ 12 HR and a 1.051 OPS in Atlanta. (HT: Mark Bowman, MLB.com).
UPDATE: Uggla on coming to Atlanta: "While I am saddened to leave the Marlins family and thankful for all they did for me in my career, I am even MORE excited to join the Braves organization." (HT: Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports).
UPDATE 2: Apparently Uggla would not budge from 5yrs/$71M during negotiations with Florida. Florida started at 4yrs/$48M and then went up. We better hope that he will come down for Atlanta, because the Braves aren't going to pay him $71M over 5 years, nor should they.
3. Financial Impact and Contract Info - Uggla is arbitration eligible for 2011 and a free agent in one year. The Marlins were trying to sign him before they traded him. Apparently, 4yrs/$48M was turned down by Uggla. The Braves had to know this going into this trade. Therefore, they have to have a plan in place to keep this from becoming a rental, OR they were completely okay with the fact that this may be a rental. I am okay if the Braves were acting under the latter assumption given we traded a 3rd-string lefty RP and another player who only had one year left on his contract for Uggla. But, they could be operating with confidence, based on inside information, that they could get a long-term deal done. He made $7.8M this past season, and he is arbitration eligible for next season. This means that Uggla and the Braves will trade numbers and try to determine what he should get paid in 2011 based on last season's salary and his performance, or - if they can't agree on numbers - an arbitrator will decide it. This, of course, will happen if a long-term deal cannot get done. The Braves may work out a one-year deal with him to avoid arbitration, then work on signing him long term. I don't know. But I would find it hard to believe that the Braves wouldn't at least feel like they could get a long term deal worked out, unless this was just too good a deal to pass up - even for a rental.
UPDATE: Frank Wren has stated that they want to engage Uggla about a long-term extension. (HT: Talking Chop). He also stated in a conference call that now they wanted more bullpen stability and possibly "a bench guy or two." (HT: Talking Chop). Based on these comments, the Braves may be done improving their every day batting lineup, though I'd still like to see us add a CF since we did not give up prospects and have them by the bunches (though it may be a pipe dream). The fact that Wren said he wanted to add a bench "guy or two" could mean Diaz and Hinske are done as Braves, unless he was referring to them.
UPDATE 2: Uggla calls Nashville TN his home. The proximity of Nashville to Atlanta may help in getting a long-term deal done. (HT: Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports).
4. The Fredi Factor - Another thing that makes me feel good about this deal: Fredi is our manager and he managed Uggla for a few years in Florida. Given Fredi's well-known stance on not liking or putting up with lazy or loafing players, I think it speaks volumes to Uggla's character that Fredi probably encouraged the Braves to pursue him.
UPDATE: Fredi on Uggla: "I'm excited. Big bat. Tremendous clubhouse guy. Blue-collar. Our fans will love him." Love hearing this. (HT: Dave O'Brien, AJC)
5. Uggla Defensively - He's not as good as Infante, but he's better than Conrad. He won't win gold gloves, but probably won't lose games for you either.
6. Conspiracy Theory - I still don't know if the Braves would actively be considering adding another outfielder now that Uggla has been acquired. Wren's comments suggest "no." But, I stand by the fact that considering the Braves did not trade away prospects, and they have highly conveted pitching prospects, we could still add another outfielder. Of course, because Uggla will be rather expensive, our addition to the OF will have to be cheap, which would mean a little-known player or a young prospect type. I'm thinking of a young prospect type like Justin Upton or Colby Rasmus. Rasmus would be more likely because he is a CF.
Hear this: The Cardinals are interested in getting an everyday second baseman. So, the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the Braves would send Prado and a pitching prospect to St. Louis for Colby Rasmus, a guy whose talents are mentioned in the same breath as Justin Upton and Jason Heyward. He'd be getting rookie pay for a while and he's also had some issues with the management in St. Louis (which means they may trade him). Oh, and Rasmus is from Columbus, GA. Just sayin...
But regardless of whether we make any more moves, I like this upgrade. We are a better team with Uggla on board.
No way. Better than Conrad defensively? I don't believe it.
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