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.

Marlins Plan on Trading Uggla

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Florida Marlins plan on trading 2B Dan Uggla after failed extension talks. The San Francisco Giants, of course, are listed as one of the eight potential suitors for the 2010 Silver Slugger. Many Giants fans are salivating at the idea of acquiring the two-time all star, but there's plenty of reasons not to go after him.

First of all, there's no room for him. As long as Pablo Sandoval gets in shape, and Freddy Sanchez remains injury-free, third base and second base are occupied. There is of course, a vacant starting job at first base, but that will likely go to Aubrey Huff. Many fans might wish to see Uggla starting at third instead of Pablo, but I'm sure he'd put up similarly great numbers -- he could easily hit above .300 with solid power (maybe 25 homers).

Secondly, he's costly. Uggla will likely get $10MM this year and then his contract is up. So what do the Giants do then? Sign him to an extension? He already turned down a 4yr/$48MM extension offer from the Florida Marlins, so what does this mean? He could make a huge dent in the Giants payroll for the next several years.

Third of all, his defense is atrocious. His career UZR/150 is -4.5, but in recent years, his defense has gotten even worse. He'll likely move to first base within a few years. That's huge. The reason he is so valuable is because his offensive production is rare, coming from a second baseman. If he moves to first base, he loses a lot of that value. Also, the Giants have an up-and-coming first baseman in their farm system by the name of Brandon Belt. The Giants probably want to have a spot available for him when he's called up to the majors -- rather than occupying first base for the next four to five years.

This isn't even including what the Giants would potentially give up to have Uggla for one year. They'd likely have to part ways with one or more great prospects -- a myopic move for any GM of a team that has just won the World Series.

So anyway, there's no need for Dan Uggla. The Giants could get great offensive production out of Pablo Sandoval for a much, much, much lower cost. And Uggla is expensive -- it would not be wise for the Giants to take on his contract unless they're going to make him an everyday player. Lastly, his defense is just bad. If they were to put him at first base, assuming they don't re-sign Huff, there will be no room for the promising Brandon Belt when he receives his call-up.

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.