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The Atlanta Braves acquired All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins in a trade for utilityman Omar Infante and pitcher Mike Dunn. 

The trade reunited Dan Uggla with his former skipper Fredi Gonzalez who was fired in June after the Marlins underperformed. 

Uggla, 30, was in negotiations with the Marlins on a long-term deal but he rejected a four year contract offer valued at $48 million because he wanted a fifth year added to the offer.

Uggla leaves the Marlins as the all time leader in home runs with 154 home runs in five seasons with Florida and takes his talents to Atlanta, bringing a much-needed power bat to a Braves lineup that has lost it in recent years with injuries and departures of Mark Teixeria and Andruw Jones. 

Uggla is currently in his final year of team control, and will be a free agent after the season unless the Braves sign him to a contract extension. 

On the Marlins end, this deal fulfills team needs rather than acquiring the best available blue-chip prospect for the slugger. All-star Omar Infante is all but likely to be the teams starting second baseman, brining a much better glove at the position than Dan Uggla. If not second, the utlitityman Infante is likely to find a landing spot at third base or centerfield.  

Offensively, Infante was one of the better hitters in the National League, hitting .321 (ranked third) to go along with eight home runs and 47 RBIs in 134 games played. 

Mike Dunn, on the other hand, fulfills the Marlins need for a left-handed reliever who can be an effective arm and strikeout machine. Dunn was 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA, striking out 27 batters in 19 innings pitched. 

Dunn could find himself in the mix for the eight inning job or a specialist role rather than a closer considering the Marlins are thin with lefties. 

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According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins are making the first big free agent signing this offseason by closing in on a three-year deal with All-Star catcher John Buck. The contract is believed to worth anywhere between $15 million and $20 million. 

Buck, 30, had his best season offensively in 2010 with the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .281 with 20 homers and 66 RBIs in 118 games. 

Defensively, Buck ranked 5th in the American League with a .994 fielding percentage and caught 28 percent of base runners in 2010. He has also named to his first All-Star game after an injury paved the way for him to play. 

Buck would fill the need for the Marlins who have John Baker who underwent Tommy John surgery and he may not be at full strength come Opening Day. The Marlins went with an array of catchers after Baker’s injury and Ronny Paulino’s suspension for performance enhancing drugs.

It is also worth noting the signing of Buck makes him the Florida Marlins’ first major free agent signing since the Carlos Delgado signing of 2005 when he signed for four years and $52 million.  

If indeed the John Buck deal is wrapped up, it would take away the Marlins need for a catcher in a potential Dan Uggla trade. 

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Unless Dan Uggla accepts the Florida Marlins’ four-year condition on contract talks, he will likely get traded, perhaps before Thanksgiving. 

Reportedly, the teams who have expressed more than a mild interest in the 30-year-old second baseman include the Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals. 

Despite the fact the Marlins will be left with a hole in the middle infield, the team wants a catcher and a couple of pitchers in return for the power-hitting second baseman. 

An Uggla trade would also allow the Marlins to allocate the money intended for him towards alternatives in free agency. Options could include a pair of Gold Glovers in the way of second baseman Orlando Hudson (who has won four Gold Gloves) and a revitalization project in Eric Chavez (six Gold Gloves), who was cut by the Oakland Athletics after injury-riddled seasons in 2008, 2009 and 2010. 

The Marlins are moving towards being a team built on pitching and defense and neither option should be surprising considering the team’s decision to bring back defensive guru Perry Hill. 

Another alternative, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, would be free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski if the Marlins fail to acquire a catcher in a trade. Both sides share mutual interest and expect for the Marlins to offer a two or three-year deal if it ever gets that far. 

Dan Uggla will turn 31 in March, and the Marlins aren’t willing to give him a contract that extends to when he is 36. Uggla committed a career-high 18 errors this season while having a career year with the bat, hitting .287 with 33 home runs and 105 RBIs. 

Let’s take a look at what they will demand from each team based on what they have to give that appeals to the Marlins.

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Talks for a long term engagement with newly minted Silver Slugger Dan Uggla are at a impasse and the Marlins, who have recently traded two former Top 10 picks (Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller), key pieces of the disastrous Miguel Cabrera deal, have suddenly become trigger happy in the trade market.

Those deals have helped shore up the bullpen with three arms but have left a hole in centerfield and there still remains a need a catcher.

According to FOXSports, the Marlins have had discussions with the Detroit Tigers regarding the power-hitting second baseman.

The Florida Marlins are not confident they will sign Uggla because of his insistence to add a fifth year to the contract. Uggla recently turned down a four-year, $48 million offer. Uggla made $7.8 million this year and is eligible for salary arbitration for a final time before qualifying for free agency after the 2011 season.

If the Marlins seriously pursue a Dan Uggla trade, they will look to shore up at the bullpen, catcher and/or centerfield If Uggla is indeed traded, Chris Coghlan is likely to slide to second base with former first-round draft pick Matt Dominguez getting a long look a third base in Spring Training. Emilio Bonfacio is another candidate to start at second or third if Dominguez isn’t ready.

Here are five beneficial trades the Marlins could potentially pull off that will help shore up their weak spots:

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The offseason for the Florida Marlins has been quite a whirlwind and it a surprise twist blew the Marlins way when Dan Uggla stunned the front office be rejecting a four year, $48 million extension. This past season, Uggla had career highs in batting average (.287), home runs (33) and RBIs (105) with a steady salary of $7.8 million. 

Why would Dan Uggla reject the Marlins offer? For starters, Dan Uggla has essentially raised the bar on power hitting second basemen by hitting 30 home runs in four consecutive seasons, no second baseman has done that in the history of baseball, not even Chase Utley or Jeff Kent have accomplished that feat. 

The Florida Marlins are also hesitant to offer a long-term deal to a player whose production might begin to decline. Dan Uggla will be 31 by Opening Day and if he gets his way will be 36 by the end of the five year deal, something the Marlins want to avoid considering Uggla isn’t great with the glove at second. Uggla is expected to earn $10 million + in 2011 and gradually rise for the next few seasons of his contract. 

While these contract talks are akin to the Josh Johnson fiasco of the last offseason, Johnson is four years younger than Uggla at 26 and the Marlins are tend to shy away from offering long-term deals to players who are over 30. 

At the end of the day, I expect the Marlins to get a deal done with Dan Uggla just because this is the last thing the front office needs a season prior to the opening of their new stadium, bad publicity and another infamous jettison of a cornerstone player, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are prime examples. 

 If a deal gets done, expect for the fifth-year to include somewhere in the neighborhood of a mutual option or a vesting option which would give Uggla his dough if he achieves certain seasonal milestones. 

But what if nothing gets done? Here are five possible trade destinations for Dan Uggla if the Marlins deem Uggla out of their range..

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After various rumors circulating throughout the postseason as to who will manage the Florida Marlins in 2011, the ballclub wasted no timing in making a decision as they are expected to bring back interim manager Edwin Rodriguez on a full-time basis. 

Edwin Rodriguez went 46-46 with the Marlins, ending up in third place in the NL East but dealt with injuries to ace Josh Johnson, co-ace Ricky Nolasco, and injuries to Hanley Ramirez and Chris Coghlan.

Current Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was dismissed in late June at 34-36 and in fourth place in the NL East.

Whether Edwin Rodriguez remains beyond the 2011 season remains speculative and hinges on the team’s performance on this upcoming season eve to the new ballpark in 2012.

Reports are that owner Jeffrey Loria is craving on a high-profile name in time for the 2012 season after swinging and missing on Bobby Valentine and Ozzie Guillen in recent weeks.

The offseason now focuses on the Marlins filling out the rest of coaching staff and roster, which is expected to get a boost on the defensive side.

According to Juan Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel, an announcement is forthcoming on both Edwin Rodriguez’s hiring and the return of infield guru Perry Hill who was with the Marlins from 2002 to 2006.

Perry Hill might prove to be the biggest offseason addition for the Marlins who were in the bottom of most defensive categories last season. Hanley Ramirez, Dan Uggla and Gaby Sanchez had a combined 45 errors last season with the latter two setting career highs in that category.

Hill was most recently with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009 as the Pirates infield and first base coach but was out of baseball last season after the ballclub refused to release him of his contract he wished to leave behind.

Beyond the coaching end, the Marlins will now set their sights on retaining infielder Dan Uggla and pitcher Ricky Nolasco on long-term deals which figure to be the cornerstones to the new era of the Florida Marlins in 2012.

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At this rate, you’re probably sick and tired of reading stories of speculation about the next possible Marlins manager. But despite all the speculation about who will be the Marlins’ next manager, with potential skippers ranging from Bobby Valentine to Bo Porter, it may come down to Edwin Rodriguez, who managed them down the stretch last year. 

According to various media reports towards the end of the regular season, the Florida Marlins were a likely landing spot for Ozzie Guillen because of the turmoil that he had internally with his front office, notably general manager Ken Williams. 

Apparently, the Florida Marlins asked the White Sox for permission to speak to Ozzie Guillen, who is going into the final year of his contract with the White Sox. When the White Sox asked the Marlins for compensation, reports indicate that Chicago asked for up and coming slugger Mike Stanton, who hit 22 home runs in 100 games this past season. 

Whether or not Stanton was involved in talks or not, the two sides could not come to agreement on compensation for Ozzie Guillen. 

In any world, I wouldn’t trade a potential 40-50 homer hitter for a manager; the difference in the win column would weigh more on the player than a manager who won’t even take the field. 

When that failed, the Marlins turned to Bobby Valentine, who shut them out of his managerial future and left the Marlins scrambling over other issues ahead of them, such as getting a Dan Uggla long term deal done and ongoing stadium construction. Think of the Marlins as a quarterback under pressure; he sees two potential targets go by the wayside (Guillen and Valentine), but in the end he hands it to his running back near by (Edwin Rodriguez). 

Considering that the Florida Marlins’ previous plans have failed in their search for a new manager, don’t be surprised if after a long holding pattern in managerial talks, the organization brings back Edwin Rodriguez for a one year deal. 

It would be dumb on their part to basically give away another season (payroll is only going to rise slightly into the $50 million range), but smart if they can hire the right manager.  

The ultimate plan in the front office minds would be to give Edwin Rodriguez the job for an additional season and hope that the White Sox don’t make the playoffs next season. Ozzie Guillen’s contract has an option which is automatically picked up if his team wins the AL Central (the team holds an option for 2012); if the White Sox miss the playoffs, Guillen’s chances of leaving the South Side increase, especially if he isn’t offered an extension. 

At this point, if the Chicago White Sox wanted Ozzie Guillen and Guillen wanted the White Sox why hasn’t an extension gotten done? 

Edwin Rodriguez handled the Marlins managerial duties pretty well (46-46) considering the series of injuries he dealt with down the stretch, which could have swung his record by five games the other way (51-42).

Giving him a long look would give the Marlins a chance to see if he is worth keeping on a long term basis. If the Marlins make the playoffs this season, then Edwin Rodriguez stays, but if they don’t, he is likely gone and Ozzie Guillen is potentially in. That’s the scenario the Marlins’ front office has swimming in their heads and the one they hope ultimately happens. 

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While the Florida Marlins may have their hands full with finding their next manager and signing Dan Uggla to a contract extension this offseason, they face an uphill battle in fixing what was broken throughout the 2010 season, bullpen aside the catcher position gave the Marlins headaches all season long. 

I’d compare it to the Marlins buying a brand new battery and having to change it every few days, which translates to every couple of weeks for the Marlins who went through an assortment of them this past season. 

The primary starter John Baker who underwent Tommy John Surgery in the summer hopes to be ready by the time spring training rolls around but it won’t be easy process considering he’ll still need to use his throwing arm after every pitch and when base runners are on the loose.

And from the looks of it, the Marlins might not be as intrigued to bring back backup catcher Ronny Paulino after his positive test for performance-enhancing drugs in mid-August.

Down the stretch after losing Paulino, the Marlins went with an array of catchers, ranging from Brad Davis to Brett Hayes to Chris Hatcher and Mike Rivera.

In 2010, the quintet of Baker, David, Hayes, Hatcher, and Rivera went on to hit a combined .197 (56 for 284) with 5 home runs and 28 RBI in 104 games. You can make the argument that may have been a reason why the Marlins lost as many games as they did these season and could have been anywhere in the 85 to 90 win range had they had a solid healthy catcher throughout the season. 

Looking at the free agent market, the only intriguing name out there is Victor Martinez yet he 32 and would demand big money—upward of $50 million, which is Dan Uggla money—if the Marlins intend to rise their offer. 

While familiar names such as Ramon Castro, Miguel Olivo and Matt Treanor can all possibly be free agents, I don’t expect the Marlins to go to either because of age and money combined. I can’t envision the Marlins paying Treanor or Castro more than $2 million, which is what they may command and Olivo is likely to return to Colorado with his mutual option pending. 

As for the trade market, the Marlins can probably pursue Ivan Rodriguez from the Nationals and perhaps get him for virtually a class-A minor leaguer yet he won’t bring with him the impact bat the Marlins need. 

The remaining candidate who is on the block at a reasonable contract price and is under 30 years of age? Mike Napoli.

Napoli carries with him the perfect bat to a possible Marlins lineup that use some added protection considering Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross have departed via midseason trades.

While the Marlins may have Gaby Sanchez, Dan Uggla, Hanley Ramirez, and Mike Stanton as their power hitters, adding Mike Napoli gives the Marlins a dangerous lineup which could easily rival that of the Phillies and Braves and set themselves up for a good 1 through 8 in the batting order. Imagine starting off on Opening Day with Coghlan, Morrison, Ramirez, Uggla, Sanchez, Stanton, Napoli and Maybin. 

Mike Napoli can be non-tendered by the Angels if they decide to go in a different direction but more than likely, Napoli will be shopped around the league which brings a catcher weak Marlins team into the fold.

Napoli is a local South Florida product hailing from Charles Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines and he was born in Hollywood, Florida. He would welcome a return to the Sunshine State in a heartbeat especially if he was non-tendered.

2010 Batting Statistics: .238 batting average, 26 home runs and 68 RBI

2010 Contract: $3,600,000 

2011 Projected Salary: $ 5-6 million (third year arbitration eligible) 

Defense will certainly be an issue for any team that has Napoli who committed a league high nine errors as a catcher in 2009. I’d suspect that if Mike Napoli ever came to be a Florida Marlin, he’d more than likely split time with John Baker in a platoon role with right and left handed pitching. Napoli hit .219 last season against right handed pitcher.

The ultimate factor is money for the Marlins in acquiring a guy like Napoli. The money has to be used in signing Dan Uggla to an extension and shoring up the depleted bullpen for the Fish yet if can give the Marlins a stable catcher for the next few seasons until Kyle Skipworth is ready then they should pursue the opportunity especially if Napoli gives them the hometown discount. 

Nevertheless, if the Marlins expect to draw any interest of fans to their new stadium they’ll have to do it by getting competitive and spending their money. Their image has been ruined in the public by their own local government, MLB, and by Cody Ross’ performance in the postseason.

If they want to repair their image they’ll have begin making trades to add pieces, not dumping them and I would like to see it happen in the offseason and not the midseason trading deadline when the team is on pins and needles. Mike Napoli would be a solid first step in that direction for a franchise undergoing a major facelift soon.

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Commissioner Bud Selig has said that baseball is studying possibilities to expand the postseason field from the current eight team format, to a ten team field beginning as soon as next season, this according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. 

The current format, which has been in place since 1994, only allows the three division winners from the East, Central, and West to get in along with a wild card team. 

The expansion of teams in the postseason would remove the dreaded “one-game” playoff tiebreaker known as the 163rd game.

According to the report, from a source close with Major League Baseball, the proposals being developed to add two wild card teams to the playoffs include provisions to adopt the NFL-style tie-breaking system based on head-to-head play or division record to send teams into the playoffs when such tie occurs in a division or wild card slot. 

Essentially that would eliminate the tiebreaking game in favor of an addition series which could be dubbed the American League Wild Card Series (ALWCS) and National League Wild Card Series (NLWCS). 

The current proposal being thrown out by MLB include one of two formats, a one-game playoff, aka the 163rd game or a traditional three-game series like every team plays in the regular season. 

Personally, I think a three-game series would be the most beneficial because it would allow teams to put out their best starting rotations and it would give incentive to the teams that did win their divisions to have extra rest. 

A one-game playoff would really tick teams off because their entire season, which is run on intervals of a three-game series, comes down to one game and thats were the line is drawn between the NFL and MLB. A three-game series keeps the regular season format and allows MLB to have more revenue. 

If any such three-game “wild card series” is enacted, it should be played at a neutral site to avoid any off-days to travel between stadium sites. An entire series played at an opposing teams’ site would be unfair for the road team but because fans wouldn’t pay to see a team they don’t root for it might just go to the team with the best record. 

Critics would be fair to point out that any additional teams pushes the World Series back into November territory, but consider this year’s postseason.

The New York Yankees clinched this past Saturday, October 9 and won’t be playing until almost a week later. And yes, they did sweep, but baseball has been too generous to teams rather than rewarding the fans, and it takes the momentum away from the game when you have these off days for no reason.

While it may be trying to cover all bases if a rain delayed occurred, the pace as to be reminiscent of ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas where there is a Christmas movie every day and baseball has to have that flow until of course the World Series.

Work Left to Be Done 

All and all, I’m glad baseball is considering this change because a franchise like Pittsburgh or Kansas City would mostly benefit from this change. If baseball doesn’t enact salary caps like the three other leagues (NFL, NBA, and NHL) it might as well give an increased chance for these teams who are currently losing the war against the bigger markets like New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. 

If revenue is the root of the all these postseason expansion talks, MLB should consider the other type of expansion to add two teams in the league. Having a solid four teams and four divisions format would increase everyone’s chances at a postseason and the AL West is a prime example of that since every team has won the division at least once in the last decade, no other division has done that with their five to six team parties. 

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Once again, the ever-popular name for the Florida Marlins managerial job has brought out the big fish that Jeffrey Loria desires: Bobby Valentine. The current ESPN analyst has once again emerged as the “leading candidate” to manage the Marlins, reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post, citing a person familiar with the process.

According to the report, “Valentine has been in touch with the Marlins over the last two weeks,” and, while it’s no secret that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria wants Valentine, team president David Samson and others in the front office are against it because, according to sources, “They’re reluctant to give Valentine the power he wants in personnel decisions.”

Three months ago, an internal struggle caused Loria to keep interim manager Edwin Rodriguez for the remainder of the season. Rodriguez went 46-46 as manager of the Marlins but has seemingly ended up as the Marlins’ last resort on the managerial front.

The other candidates the Marlins are keeping their eye on are Atlanta Braves scout Jim Fregosi, Dodgers minor league manager Tim Wallach, Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, and former Diamondbacks and Marlins third base coach Bo Porter.

At this rate, if Valentine gets the job it’ll be because of Jeffrey Loria and his desire to hire a big name over the not-so-popular alternatives. Valentine, 60, has a 1,117-1,072 record in 15 seasons managing the Texas Rangers and New York Mets (1996-2002). He managed in Japan from 2004-09, and won the Japan Series with Chiba Lotte Marines.

The Marlins are heading to a new stadium in 2012 and need a set manager in order to establish chemistry. The bottom line is the Marlins are making a gamble with their next manager because of the bright future that lies head with the new stadium and nucleus of young talent.

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