LOS ANGELES – Hours after blocking a trade to the Dodgers, veteran infielder Alberto Callaspo was in the Braves lineup Tuesday night against the Dodgers. And then he was not.
And now he’s gone. Or at least relocated to the other dugout.
In one of the more bizarre transactions in recent Braves history, Callaspo changed his mind before Tuesday night’s game and agreed to the six-player deal with the Dodgers to bring veteran infielder Juan Uribe to Atlanta along with hard-throwing right-handed reliever Chris Withrow.
The Braves also sent left-handers Eric Stults and Ian Thomas and right-hander Juan Jaime to the Dodgers along with Callaspo in the deal, which was approved by MLB on Wedneday afternoon.
The two teams play their series finale tonight, and the Callaspo and Uribe will be with their new teams playing against their former teams.
As soon as the trade was approved Wednesday, the Dodgers designated Stults for assignment, optioned Thomas to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and sent Jaime to their extended-spring training camp in Arizona.
Also Wednesday, the Braves activated third baseman Chris Johnson from the 15-day disabled list and recalled lefty reliever Donnie Veal from Triple-A Gwinnett. Uribe is likely to split third-base duties with Johnson.
Thomas and Stults had been in the Braves bullpen, after Stults lost his rotation spot earlier in the season. Jaime, who has a 100-mph fastball but continues to battle control issues, was already demoted from the majors to Triple-A and then to Double-A this season, where he continued to struggle.
Withrow, 26, is recovering from Tommy John surgery and could be ready as soon as the second half of the season, though the Braves are planning on 2016. The former first-round draft pick (20th overall pick in 2007) had a 2.73 ERA in 46 relief appearances for the Dodgers during the past two seasons, with 71 strikeouts and 31 walks in 56 innings.
Withrow won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2016 season and is under contractual control through 2019.
Only hours after Callaspo informed the Braves that he wouldn’t consent to the trade — he had that right after signing as a free agent in December — he reversed course, perhaps realizing that one way or another he was not going to spend the rest of the season with the Braves as he hoped.
As a free agent who signed last winter, Callaspo had the right to quash any trade until June 15. Both Callaspo and manager Fredi Gonzalez insisted Tuesday afternoon that it was not an uncomfortable or difficult situation with the coaching staff or teammates after he initially rejected the trade.
“It’s not awkward at all,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a situation where there was something in place, it didn’t go through, he’s a part of our team and a good piece to have on our team. It (trade talks that fall apart) happens all the time. I guess with the timing of him coming out of the lineup, people knew something was up. Other than that, people wouldn’ve even have known.”
But 15 minutes before the first pitch Tuesday, Callaspo was scratched again as the Braves announced “trade talks being revisited.” Uribe was not in the Dodgers lineup the past two nights.
Uribe, 36, a third baseman now after also playing middle-infield positions in the past, has hit .247 with a .287 OBP, one homer and a .596 OPS in 87 plate appearances. A .257 career hitter with 179 home runs in 15 seasons, he hit a career-best .311 with nine homers and a .777 OPS last season in 404 plate appearances for the Dodgers.
In 2013, he famously beat the Braves in the postseason with his two-run homer off David Carpenter in the eighth inning of a division series-clinching Game 4 win. Uribe is making $6.5 million this season in the last year of his contract.
On Monday, Callaspo was scratched from the lineup after a Braves official called Gonzalez following batting practice to tell him a trade could be completed. The Braves didn’t want to risk Callaspo getting hurt before the potential deal went through.
Callaspo was told about the pending trade Monday night, and informed the Braves Tuesday morning that he wouldn’t consent. He met with reporters before batting practice Tuesday.
“I just signed my contract here, so I just want to finish my season here,” explained Callaspo, 32, who signed a one-year, $3 million deal in December. “So let’s see what happens.”
Within two hours of saying that, Callaspo had dropped his refusal to be traded and agreed to the deal.
Callaspo has hit just .206 with three extra-base hits (one homer) and a .293 OBP in 123 plate appearances in 37 games, including 14-for-90 (.156) in his past 30 games. The Braves could have designated him for assignment and released him at any time, and might have done so this week with Johnson returning and second baseman Jace Peterson now the every-day second baseman.
Or, the Braves could have waited until after June 15 and try again to trade him, at which point they wouldn’t need his consent. Either way, Callaspo was guaranteed his $3 million salary.
The deal doesn’t significantly impact payrolls, with the Braves adding a player making $6.5 million and subtracting players making $3 million (Callaspo) and $2 million (Stults). Others in the deal are making slightly over the major league minimum ($507,500), Jaime on a prorated basis while on the big-league roster.
