I don't know what shocked me more: the fact that the Diamondbacks are listening to offers for Justin Upton, or how little the Braves had to give up for power hitting second baseman Dan Uggla. Does this deal make any sense to you? Omar Infante and Mike Dunn to the Braves for Dan Uggla? Sounds too good to be true if you're a Braves fan.
I understand the Marlins wanting to walk away from giving Uggla a 5 year deal. He will turn 31 in March, and there is no telling what position he will be playing at the end of said 5 year deal. He might end up being a quality DH for an American League team in 5 years because he is not a good defensive second baseman. But to deal him just a few days after you walk away from your 4 year, $48 million offer? What was the rush? I think he would bring back more value on July 31, 2011, than what he brought back today. To get the Marlin fans reaction to this deal, check out SB Nation's Marlins site-Fishstripes.
The Braves get a perennial 30 HR-90 RBI guy to fit in the middle of their lineup, and did not have to give up any of their top prospects in doing so. Here is what Dave O'Brien from the Atlanta Journal Constitution had to say about the Braves plans for Uggla:
Wren said the Braves plan to play Uggla at second and move All-Star second baseman Martin Prado to left field. Prado will also back up third baseman Chipper Jones, who is recovering from August knee surgery.
Wren said Prado would be the starter at third if Jones, 38, isn’t fully recovered, or is unable to make it back. Jones, who has two years and $28 million left on his contract, is progressing on schedule in his recovery.
As a result of this deal, the Braves lineup will look like this:
Martin Prado
Jason Heyward
Chipper Jones
Dan Uggla
Brian McCann
Freddie Freeman
Nate McLouth
Alex Gonzalez
That is not a bad lineup. The Braves do lose some bench depth, but I think they can live with that.
As for the Marlins, it appears they are going to use the money they were going to invest in Uggla in new catcher John Buck, who they are close to signing to a 3 year deal for $18 million. But after that remains to be seen. The Marlins move into a new stadium in 2012, and already have some young stars in Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson and a future star in Mike Stanton, but they will have to spend wisely to ensure they get the fan support in their new stadium.
As for fantasy values, I think Uggla's value increases a bit as he is moving to a better lineup, yet Turner Field has proven to be more if a ptichers park than Sun Life Stadium. Infante will probably get a chance to play everyday in Florida, but I am not sure he can improve upon his 2010 season where he hit .321-.359-.416 with 8 HRs and 47 RBIs. He could hit a few more homers and drive in a few more runs, but I don't see a repeat in the BA.
As a result of this deal, it appears the Marlins will move outfielder Mike Stanton to the cleanup spot in the lineup on 2011, thereby increasing his RBI chances with Infante, Chris Coghlan and Hanley Ramirez hitting in front of him. One thing the Marlins achieved in their recent deals is that they traded away two hitters in Maybin and Uggla who strikeout alot.