Braves Acquire Dan Uggla

The Atlanta Braves traded Omar Infante and reliever Mike Dunn to the Florida Marlins in exchange for Dan Uggla. I think this was ultimately a smart move by the Braves, who have a pretty deep bullpen already; also, it's probably a good idea to capitalize on what will probably be Infante's only all-star appearance.

In exchange, they've added a powerful bat to their lineup that they could probably use for the next few years. When the Giants faced the Braves in the NLDS, the heart of their lineup consisted of Derrek Lee, Brian McCann, and Jason Heyward (I believe in the two-hole). Beyond that, they didn't have many impact bats with Martin Prado on the DL and relatively weak hitters like Troy Glaus, Brooks Conrad, and Rick Ankiel (yes, I said Ankiel).

Uggla, for them, represents a legitimate power bat that can complement Jason Heyward for several years to come, assuming the Braves sign him to an extension. The Braves now look like they will be a much scarier playoff threat in 2011.

2010 Silver Slugger Awards

The 2010 Silver Slugger Awards were announced today. Like the Gold Glove Awards, voting is conducted by Major League coaches and managers:

AL
C Joe Mauer
1B Miguel Cabrera
2B Robinson Cano
3B Adrian Beltre
SS Alexei Ramirez
OF Jose Bautista
OF Carl Crawford
OF Josh Hamilton
DH Vladimir Guerrero

NL
C Brian McCann
1B Albert Pujols
2B Dan Uggla
3B Ryan Zimmerman
SS Troy Tulowitzki
OF Ryan Braun
OF Carlos Gonzalez
OF Matt Holliday
P Yovani Gallardo

Not a single San Francisco Giant took home a Silver Slugger Award, but unlike the Gold Glove Award, there was really no standout candidate for the Giants that deserved the award. Arguments could be made for Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey, possibly, but ultimately, I think the Silver Slugger Awards were given to the right players.

It'll be interesting to see if Posey wins the Silver Slugger next year, however, because beyond McCann, I don't really see much competition for the award at the catcher position.