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Dan Uggla

Benjamin Grimm
Nov 16 2010 01:11 PM

I offer this merely as conversational fodder.

Dan Uggla strikes me as the kind of guy Davey Johnson would have liked to have out there. (Davey always valued the bat more than the glove. He played Kevin Mitchell at shortstop!) Maybe he'd fit the Sandy mold. (Hard to say at this point.)

All eyes on star 2B Dan Uggla at GM meetings; Tigers are one option
Tony Paul / The Detroit News

The Marlins are in a trading mood.

Just last week, they shipped out starting pitcher Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin, once prized prospects in the Tigers system, in the span of 24 hours.

Now, at the general manager meetings in Orlando, all eyes are on Florida again as the club explores the possibility of trading All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla.

The Marlins and their owner, Jeffrey Loria, were apparently ticked off when Uggla, 31, turned down a four-year, $48 million contract earlier this month. He supposedly wants a fifth year; Florida won't go there.

So the ballclub has started talking to several teams, with the Tigers and Blue Jays among them, according to recent reports.

Second base was somewhat of a soft spot for the Tigers in 2010. After they chose not to keep All-Star Placido Polanco after 2009, they anointed rookie Scott Sizemore the starter. But he ended up breaking an ankle in the Arizona Fall League, then struggled out of the gate in 2010. And before long, the position was Carlos Guillen’s, then Will Rhymes’.

Rhymes provided a spark, hitting .304, but there is no clear-cut starter heading into 2011.

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, of course, isn't afraid to deal; he's made significant trades in three of the last four offseasons — one being the blockbuster that sent Miller and Maybin to the Marlins, for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, in December 2007. (Let's see if the Marlins hold that against them.)

Dombrowski has a history with Uggla, too. He drafted him in the first round in 2001, when he was general manager of the Marlins.

As for the Blue Jays, they have Aaron Hill as their second baseman, but could move him to third base if they acquire Uggla. They recently parted ways with Edwin Encarnacion.

Two unidentified National League teams (Mets? Nationals?) reportedly have been talking to the Marlins, too.

Uggla has been an offensive force all five years he's been in the majors, averaging 31 home runs a season. He's the only second baseman in history with four 30-home run seasons. This past season was a career year, with 33 homers and 105 RBIs.

He strikes out a lot, though — over 100 times a year — and his defense is mediocre at best.

Uggla is arbitration-eligible this offseason, so he'll get a significant raise from the $7.8 million he earned in 2010. He's due to be a free agent after 2011.

He's been a frequent name in the rumor mill for quite some time, but the Marlins have yet to pull the trigger — meaning their asking price has been sky high.

They're likely easing those demands now.


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20101116/SPO ... z15Th5vpno

Frayed Knot
Nov 16 2010 01:18 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

1) I think Uggla's going to be one of those players who will eventually wind up regretting rejecting a big offer. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of his life.

2) Will Rhymes, one of the erstwhile Detroit 2B-men mentioned in that piece, wouldn't you be shocked if his teammates did NOT hang the nickname Busta on him?

TransMonk
Nov 16 2010 01:20 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

E4

Edgy DC
Nov 16 2010 01:21 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

A lot is made of Kevin Mitchell at short, but he only played 24 games there under Davey --- as an occasional substitute for the disastrous bat of 1986's Rafael Santana, and only when his flyball pitchers were pitching. It's also illustrative that Johnson added Kevin Elster that same year at the last moment before rosters froze so he wouldn't have to face a post-season situation with Mitchell or Howard Johnson at short. So Mitch was hardly a solution at short or a plan they invested in, as Uggla would be expected to be at second.

That said, the greater point is that Johnson like as much hitting as he could get away with, and Uggla is one hittin' secondbaseman, (though one disastrous All Star player).

Secondbase and rightfield are the ripest areas for upgrades, so I expect they'll make inquiries. I think Daniel Murphy (a player of some offense also) is the current placeholder at second. That could work, but I'm also intrigued in using him as a utility guy at first, second, third, and left. That would be particuarly analogous to Mitchell.

Edgy DC
Nov 16 2010 01:22 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Frayed Knot wrote:
2) Will Rhymes, one of the erstwhile Detroit 2B-men mentioned in that piece, wouldn't you be shocked if his teammates did NOT hang the nickname Busta on him?

I'd be more surprised if by now the Marlins haven't nicknamed Uggla "Butt."

Benjamin Grimm
Nov 16 2010 01:34 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Uggla has always seemed like a future Met to me. (Other players for whom I had that vibe: Frank Viola, Bobby Bonilla, Pat Burrell, Dontrelle Willis, Gary Matthews Sr., Ellis Burks. My instincts don't seem especially solid in this matter.)

Edgy DC
Nov 16 2010 01:47 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Good bets for future Mets: catchers and Marlins.

batmagadanleadoff
Nov 16 2010 02:13 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

I'd like Dan Uggla. I liked Kevin Mitchell at short. And Melvin Mora. You can't win if you don't put runs on the board.

Vince Coleman Firecracker
Nov 16 2010 02:14 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Benjamin Grimm wrote:
Uggla has always seemed like a future Met to me. (Other players for whom I had that vibe: Frank Viola, Bobby Bonilla, Pat Burrell, Dontrelle Willis, Gary Matthews Sr., Ellis Burks. My instincts don't seem especially solid in this matter.)


Ditto Dontrelle Willis (it could still happen, I suppose). I also always felt Rich Aurilia would wind up on the Mets one day.

Vic Sage
Nov 16 2010 02:31 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

batmagadanleadoff wrote:
I'd like Dan Uggla. I liked Kevin Mitchell at short. And Melvin Mora. You can't win if you don't put runs on the board.


batmags / sage similarity score = 98.634

John Cougar Lunchbucket
Nov 16 2010 02:39 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

I definitely would have not have ever expected Omar acquire Uggla, unless he were given away in a trade or something, since he didn't fit the "speed, athleticism and defense" that passed for an organizational philosophy with him. I know, Castillo didn't either, but he did at one point, and that was what seemed to have mattered.

As I said somewhere else, I'd let Uggla go somewhere else and see if we can't solve out 2B issues internally.

metirish
Nov 16 2010 03:28 PM
Re: Dan Uggla


All eyes on star 2B Dan Uggla at GM meetings; Tigers are one option
Tony Paul / The Detroit News



Two unidentified National League teams (Mets? Nationals?) reportedly have been talking to the Marlins, too.




From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20101116/SPO ... z15Th5vpno



Rosenthal has the Marlins and Braves talking about a Infante and LHP Dunn for Uggla trade.

TransMonk
Nov 16 2010 03:38 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

The Mets can't afford him, can they?

Wow, that was kind of weird to type.

metirish
Nov 16 2010 03:52 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Rosenthal reports it's a done deal....Uggla to the Braves for Infante and Dunn.

Prado will move to 3rd ....if Chipper comes back Prado goes to LF

attgig
Nov 16 2010 04:19 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

how was uggla that cheap?

metirish
Nov 16 2010 04:21 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

attgig wrote:
how was uggla that cheap?



I know right?, fucks sake , Infante is nice but Dunn must be a great pitcher is he? - SC turned way up

seawolf17
Nov 16 2010 05:01 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Infante was an ALL-STAR this year, people. Quite a talent, he is.

Frayed Knot
Nov 16 2010 05:05 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Don't know anything about Dunn* but otherwise I think the Braves sold high on Infante and they'll get a good year's use out of Uggla.





* Late round draft pick by the MFYs as it turns out, pitched 4 innings for them in '09 before being dealt to the Braves in the Javy Vazquez trade.
Decent reliever numbers in the minors this year and during a during the 2nd half with Atlanta.
Turns out he even got a win against us with 1.1 IP of hitless work - the only time we've ever faced him.

Ashie62
Nov 16 2010 05:56 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

The Braves get Uggla for one year for Infante and Dunn. Big whoop.

The Second Spitter
Nov 16 2010 06:10 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

batmagadanleadoff wrote:
You can't win if you don't put runs on the board.


Joe Morgan's hacked batmags' account.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Nov 16 2010 07:39 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

fightoffyourdemons wrote:
According to Ken Rosenthal, they're talking to the Braves about him. So evidently the Marlins have no qualms about trading within the division, or doing insane things.


"Breaking" news with your first post. Are you Ed Price?

Welcome aBordick.

MFS62
Nov 16 2010 10:00 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Welcome abordick.
Gotta' be a story behind that screen name, demons.
What is it?
Later

batmagadanleadoff
Nov 17 2010 08:59 AM
Re: Dan Uggla

The Second Spitter wrote:
batmagadanleadoff wrote:
You can't win if you don't put runs on the board.


Joe Morgan's hacked batmags' account.


Morgan's got nothing on me. Other than two MVP's and a plaque with his name on it in Cooperstown. Nothing. I'd bet anything that today, I beat him in a foot race. I'll even give him a headstart. Nothing. What the hell is a VORP? Can you eat it?

Fman99
Nov 17 2010 09:25 AM
Re: Dan Uggla

As a Met he'd just be another RH power hitter swallowed up by the abyss that is Citi Field (see Bay, Jason).

His glove is a mess, too. If I want to watch a guy kick a ball around I'll check out a soccer game.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Nov 17 2010 10:34 AM
Re: Dan Uggla

Even if he was just a one-year rental... dammit, those are some cheap high draft picks the Braves just bought.

Edgy DC
Nov 17 2010 10:36 AM
Re: Dan Uggla

As always, though, if they're willing to offer arbitration to him.

Potential draft choices down the road go along with the two players they gave up also.

batmagadanleadoff
Nov 17 2010 10:40 AM
Re: Dan Uggla

Vic Sage wrote:
batmagadanleadoff wrote:
I'd like Dan Uggla. I liked Kevin Mitchell at short. And Melvin Mora. You can't win if you don't put runs on the board.


batmags / sage similarity score = 98.634


I figure that if the Braves wanted Uggla, he must be worth having. So there's some validation for us.

Though Fman makes the nifty point that in Citi Field, Uggla would likely remind us of Kelvin Chapman with the stick. And we'd be stuck with his iron mitt.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr
Nov 17 2010 10:42 AM
Re: Dan Uggla

Edgy DC wrote:
As always, though, if they're willing to offer arbitration to him.

Potential draft choices down the road go along with the two players they gave up also.


Last year notwithstanding, I'm pretty sure that the only draft choices that'll likely be associated with a starting Omar Infante are hoppy and brewed in big-ass Midwestern vats.

And Uggs just negged a long-term offer from the only team for whom he's ever played-- he almost definitely won't take a year-by-year arb deal.

Vic Sage
Nov 17 2010 11:08 AM
Re: Dan Uggla

Citifield hurts certain XBH (hr) and helps others (2b,3b). Marlins stadium isnt exactly a launching pad either and a 2bman with nearly a .900 OPS over 5 full seasons there can botch grounders for me anytime. And, frankly, he's not that bad a glove. The fact that Altanta got him for a UT coming off a career year and a young LHRP with more BB than IP is a great get for them, and just made our division that much tougher. Oh, well. Turner / Murphy will be just as good (yeah, right).

batmagadanleadoff
Nov 17 2010 01:48 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Vic Sage wrote:
Citifield hurts certain XBH (hr) and helps others (2b,3b). Marlins stadium isnt exactly a launching pad either and a 2bman with nearly a .900 OPS over 5 full seasons there can botch grounders for me anytime. And, frankly, he's not that bad a glove. The fact that Altanta got him for a UT coming off a career year and a young LHRP with more BB than IP is a great get for them, and just made our division that much tougher. Oh, well. Turner / Murphy will be just as good (yeah, right).



All great points, to be sure. But then again, entering last season, Jason Bay was one the game's best half dozen or so home run hitters, by any measure. And as a Met -- a Citi Field Met -- he played like a shell of his former self. So who knows just precisely how harsh CF is on home runs.

I'd still want Uggla, though, notwithstanding Fman's comments. You need to hit HR's on the road, CF or no CF. It's music to my ears when I hear a manager willing to sacrifice defense for a lot of offense. Uggla may be a below average 2b-man, but we're not talking Hundley in LF bad.

Edgy DC
Nov 17 2010 02:25 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

It's not like he was tearing the league apart on the road either, so who knows?

SplitGPAHRBAOBPSLGOPS
Home441863.277.371.459.830
Away512153.243.326.354.680

batmagadanleadoff
Nov 17 2010 02:27 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

Edgy DC wrote:
It's not like he was tearing the league apart on the road either, so who knows?

SplitGPAHRBAOBPSLGOPS
Home441863.277.371.459.830
Away512153.243.326.354.680


David Wright didn't rake on the road in 2009, either. That's the theory. That, quite possibly, in two seasons, Cit Field has thoroughly demoralized two stars to the point that they were taken out of their game -- home and road.

Edgy DC
Nov 17 2010 02:29 PM
Re: Dan Uggla

And it's a floatable theory, but... well, who knows?

HoJo, maybe. But if they got demoralized on his watch, he's certainly not telling.