According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com the Dodgers are “closing in on a three-year deal” with Juan Uribe and Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that the contract is worth $21 million, which is remarkable for someone who had to settle for a minor-league contract in 2009 and then returned to the Giants on a one-year, $3.25 million deal this season.
Uribe didn’t have a particularly impressive season, hitting his usual .250 with a terrible on-base percentage and 20-homer power, but a player contributing a couple key hits on a World Series winner can make general managers do funny things.
He hit .266 with a .781 OPS in two seasons with the Giants, but prior to that he had a .718 career OPS that included a ghastly .295 on-base percentage.
Uribe is perhaps the heftiest shortstop in baseball history, but presumably the Dodgers plan to use him primarily at second base with Rafael Furcal around. That would mean not worrying so much about his glove declining during a contract that runs through his age-33 season--and could lead to the Dodgers non-tendering Ryan Theriot, which would be a good move--but Uribe’s bat is nothing special for a second baseman. His career OPS is essentially average for the position.
There’s a very good chance Ned Colletti and the Dodgers will regret this move.
