In the first trade of the winter, the NL East was shaken up a bit as Dan Uggla was dealt from the Marlins to the Braves for infielder Omar Infante and reliever Mike Dunn.
Uggla recently turned down a four-year, $48 million offer from Florida. In return, they dealt him to a division rival that lacked right-handed pop. One of the most productive second basemen in the game, Uggla has slammed 30 or more home runs in four consecutive seasons. In 2010 he hit .287 with 33 home runs and 105 RBI, his first 100-RBI season. Although he’s been in the big leagues for five seasons, he’s already hit 154 home runs.
Heading to Miami is all-star infielder Omar Infante, who hit .321 this season, good for third best in the NL, and left-handed relief pitcher Mike Dunn. Dunn is a hard thrower who saw action in 25 games last season with Atlanta, sporting a 1.89 ERA. However, he did have a high WHIP of 1.68.
It’s a head-scratching move by the Marlins who toss away another all-star because he asked for too much money. With the a new stadium being built, you’d think they would open up the wallet just a bit for such an important part of their franchise, but alas, Uggla is gone.
