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Uribe gets a kiss from Yasiel Puig after his 2013 home run in the playoffs against the Braves.
Juan Uribe had better times in a Dodgers uniform than LA had a right to expect, especially the last two seasons when he came up with big hits and glove work at third base and served as an older buddy to Yasiel Puig. His trade to Atlanta tonight for needed pitching help strips the Dodgers dugout and clubhouse of a popular personality, but his loss on the field — as a 36-year-old backup infielder set to become a free agent at the end of the season — shouldn't really be felt much. He's expendable on a roster that already has Justin Turner, who is younger, makes more contact at the plate and can field as many positions, though not with Uribe's sure-handedness. Uribe's longer-term replacement is coming later this summer in the form of Cuban import Hector Olivera, now getting ready down on the farm. In exchange for a roster spare part, the Dodgers get a veteran pitcher and they have a bigger need there.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal says the trade submitted to the commissioner has Uribe and possibly injured reliever Chris Withrow going to Atlanta, and Braves pitcher Eric Stults coming back to LA along with infielder Alberto Callaspo and two young pitchers. The trade was agreed to last night then cancelled when Callaspo, the former Angel, exercised his right to not be traded before June 15. But he also had the right to change his mind, and apparently did before tonight's game. Callaspo was pulled from the Braves lineup for the second night in a row in preparation for a trade.
From Dodgers beat writer Ken Gurnick after tonight's 8-0 Dodgers win over the Braves:
An emotional Juan Uribe said he was told to expect the trade to be official tonight or tomorrow morning.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) May 27, 2015Uribe choked up when asked what he would miss about the Dodgers and walked away.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) May 27, 2015Stults, who is 35, pitched for the Dodgers from 2006-09 and in a few other years for San Diego. In Atlanta this year he has been a starter, though he relieved tonight. He's not very good at this stage, but the Dodgers have so many injuries to their pitching staff that his experience is preferable to the stream of unproven youngsters that LA has been starting. Also reported to be headed to the Dodgers are organizational pitchers Ian Thomas and Juan Jaime, both 28 this year and in just their second seasons in the bigs.
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* Wednesday update: The trade was actually about getting Callaspo for the bench, where the Dodgers think he is more versatile than Uribe, Rosenthal explains. Callaspo plays more positions, is a switch hitter, and both younger and cheaper. The LA Times' Bill Shaikin also notes that Callaspo has a pretty good recent record as a pinch hitter. The Dodgers designated Stults for assignment immediately after acquiring him, and would like to stash him in the minor leagues until needed. They hope to turn Thomas into a starter in the minors.
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Before the Uribe trade was back on, Dodgers beat writer Steve Dilbeck didn't like that he was even on the block. Calling Uribe "the most popular Dodger inside the clubhouse and one of its most liked outside it," he continued to needle at the new Dodgers front office braintrust for not being like the old baseball hands the writers are used to inhabiting Dodger Stadium. Sample:
One thing we’ve already learned about the Dodgers' front office, they’re not worried about breaking your heart. Following individual Dodgers should come with a warning label: Become personally attached to players at your own risk….
The new front office regime has been anything but shy about moving players. They come and go almost like on a fantasy team. Some come and go before ever actually putting on a uniform.[skip]
So it might be best not to fall too much in love with this Clayton Kershaw guy, either.
Deleting Uribe is a minor deal in baseball terms and time will tell if it works out. If Puig misses Uribe and goes into a longterm funk, maybe it looms larger than it seems. Uribe's big moments as a Dodger include the game-winning home run to beat the Braves in the playoffs in 2013, and a three-homer game that September. Good career since coming up with Colorado in 2001 as a 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic: 1,663 games so far, 1,448 hits and 179 home runs. For the Dodgers he hit 28 home runs.
It's worth noting that the mainstream media narrative in Los Angeles around the Dodgers has always tended to favor good guys, sentimentality and easily digested stats like stolen bases, RBIs and attendance over deeper strategic analysis and East Coast-style outrage when the home team doesn't win pennants. The new Dodgers front office hasn't proven yet it will win anything, but it clearly embraces the analytics that drive some sports writers crazy.
On that subject, there was a good piece recently in ESPN The Magazine by columnist Buster Olney on the newest hot trend in baseball club building: hoarding young position players because they are harder to acquire in the marketplace than good pitchers.
Update: Some of the writers tweet about Uribe's impact.
Juan Uribe is the only player I've ever seen befriend players of every age, race, position, skill level. The most popular teammate anywhere.
— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) May 27, 2015I'm going to miss Juan Uribe and Lil' Uribe. The Dodgers clubhouse will never be the same. http://t.co/Cj4fBTL9jK
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 27, 2015Tomorrow is basically going to be Juan Uribe appreciation day, and it's just going to be one of the weirdest May games ever.
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) May 27, 2015A downside to any potential Juan Uribe trade is breaking up MLB's best buddy comedy pic.twitter.com/yidnvP8MLB
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) May 26, 2015