Former Braves second baseman Dan Uggla signed with the San Francisco Giants Monday on a minor league deal.
Uggla will report to the Giants Triple-A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies, to prove that he still has value in hopes of returning to the majors.
The Giants have nothing to lose taking a flier on Uggla; they are trying to catch lightning in a bottle with a guy who has proven in the past to have game changing power. If he doesn’t prove anything in the next couple of weeks they can cut bait and try to land a more proven commodity at the trade deadline.
The Giants have had success in previous years picking up aging veterans to help them reach the postseason. Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell are two guys the Giants picked up and they helped them reach the postseason, and ultimately win the World Series in 2010.
We all know about Uggla’s struggles the past two years, but this year was way too much for the Braves to handle. In 48 games this year Uggla’s slash line is .162/.241/.231 while hitting only two homeruns and driving in only ten runs. You know you’re struggling when your slugging percentage is lower than your on-base percentage.
Uggla was inevitably replaced by rookie second baseman Tommy La Stella, and from then on Uggla brought no real value to the team. The Braves releasing him three days ago was good for both parties and now they can both have a fresh start.
The Giants are in a dog fight with their division rival the Los Angeles Dodgers; entering Monday they are tied with them for the division lead. The Giants are hoping the former All-Star can spark their offense enough to put them over the top in the NL West.