Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News heard from a “secondhand” source Wednesday evening that the Giants are attempting to reacquire infielder Juan Uribe from the Dodgers.
Uribe inked a three-year, $21 million free agent contract with Los Angeles in November that the Dodgers surely already regret. The 31-year-old is batting just .206/.275/.304 with 51 strikeouts in 236 plate appearances this season and spent time on the disabled list in May with a strained hip flexor.
Most teams would want to avoid a hefty contract and an unproductive, injury-prone player, but Giants GM Brian Sabean is known for operating in mysterious ways and always seems to have a craving for veteran players. It should be noted that ESPN’s Buster Olney heard the Dodgers have not engaged in any “substantive” trade talks yet and don’t plan to for another couple weeks.
The Giants lost second baseman Freddy Sanchez to a dislocated shoulder in early June and can’t yet be sure if he is going to avoid season-ending surgery. Mike Fontenot is also sidelined with a strained left groin.
UPDATE, 8:43 PM: Sabean called the Wrigley Field press box moments ago to personally shoot down the rumor, according to Baggarly. So, uh, that’s that.