(Updated: 2:50 p.m.) Dan Uggla may have face-planted in Atlanta, but he was just picked up by one of the best teams in baseball. Is this bad foreshadowing for the Braves?
San Francisco, which has won two of the last four World Series and is tied for first place in the National League West, have signed Uggla to a minor-league contract, according to multiple reports. The news was first reported by Fox Sports. Uggla, who was in the fourth season of a five-year, $62 million contract that he never lived up to, cleared waivers, paving the way for any team to sign him for the minimum salary. He is expected to report to the Giants' Triple A team in Fresno, Calif.
The move makes sense for the Giants, who have been seeking help at second base, where Marco Scutaro has struggled with a back injury. It's an inexpensive, low-risk move. Whether Uggla can hit any better than the .209 he hit in three and half years as a Brave -- including .162 with a .241 on-base percentage this season, when he lost his starting job -- remains to be seen. But he will be going to a good team and will remain in the National League.
The assumption here is that the Giants also checked with another former Brave, Tim Hudson, before signing Uggla. Despite his lack of success, Uggla was one of the more popular players in Braves' clubhouse, at least until the end when he arrived late for a game, leading to a one-game suspension before the All-Star break. Hudson wasn't re-signed by the Braves in free agency and has been a strong addition to the Giants' rotation at 8-6 with a 2.78 ERA (although he has fallen off since starting 7-2 with a 1.81 ERA).
So here's the set-up to a potential Braves' nightmare: Hudson and Uggla leading the Giants to postseason success.
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