Monday, November 29, 2010

Juan Uribe Signs With the....Dodgers?!

Today, Juan Uribe has signed with the Dodgers, yes THEM, for 3 years and $21 million. Uribe is no Giants legend, who after spending his entire career in San Francisco is ending his career by playing for the enemy. But after his home run sent the Giants to the World Series, he'll be a Giants postseason hero forever and that is why it's a little painful to think of him in Dodger blue. Nonetheless, it's a good thing the Giants didn't match the offer.

Three years and $21 million is too much for Juan Uribe. That amount of money isn't as much today as it used to be, but giving a low OBP player, who is coming off a season that was WORSE than the year before, that much money and that many years just doesn't seem like a good investment (Not that I care if the Dodgers are handing out bad deals). Uribe is a hacker. He swings at tons of pitches outside the zone, so he strikes out a lot, but it also means he doesn't walk much, and will always have a low OBP. His career on-base percentage is .300 and his best OBP for a single season was .329 in 2009 with the Giants. He actually had the highest walk rate of his career in 2010 (7.8%), and his OBP was still just .310. And he'll be 32 on Opening Day 2011. He does have the ability to hit some huge home runs, but that's not a player I want to commit to for 3 years.

Uribe does provide value defensively because he can play three infield positions (2B, SS, 3B) and plays them all at least decently. According to UZR he's been a plus defender for the most part. But he's no defensive wizard, and at age 32 and looking at his body type, it's likely he'll lose some range. On a good team, he should provide above-average defense and be hitting towards the bottom of the lineup. So again, I'm not sure that warrants $21 million over 3 years.

I was never a huge Juan Uribe fan, but after the World Series, I appreciate the hell out of what he gave the Giants. In that sense, it's too bad the enemy gave him the best deal. On the other hand, losing Uribe shouldn't be a huge loss for the Giants, and they would have been idiots to give him a better deal than he got from the Dodgers. It'll be interesting to see how he's greeted when he comes back to San Francisco. I've heard things like he's a traitor or he's not loyal. This isn't about loyalty. He played for with the Giants for 2 years. He deserved to go out and find the best deal he could, as it was likely his last opportunity to really cash in. I have to hate him now, but I will never forget how important he was to this team. When he gets his World Series ring, maybe I'll give a little cheer for just him, but after that, I'll be booing. It's just business, gotta keep the rivalry alive. Here's to hoping that Uribe works out about as well for the Dodgers as Jason Schmidt did.

7 comments:

  1. Couldn't have said it better myself, Mack.

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  2. I agree with your article wholeheartedly but I do have a few questions. Who replaces both Uribe and Renteria at short. Do the Gigantes have a stud prospect at short like they'd with Brandon Belt at first? Do the Giants go out and try to sign someone to fill the hole in the interim.

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  3. We'll have a post probably tomorrow on the shortstop options that will hopefully answer your questions. But there is no stud prospect, so it'll probably be a stopgap solution.

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  4. I was never a huge Juan Uribe fan, but after the World Series, I appreciate the hell out of what he gave the Giants. In that sense, it's too bad the enemy gave him the best deal. << pretty much sums it up. good post. it`ll be interesting to see who fills the gap and hopefully the ''Panda'' is back in better shape next year. it`ll be a little while before the farm system kicks in in the SS spot.

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  5. He's a good power source but in his 10 years in the bigs he's had an OPS+ over 100 twice. In 2004 with the White Sox and 2009. Tejada is an eh substitute but it's a good sign Sabean is giving out 1 year deals over caving to demands for a third year.

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  6. Uribe hasn't spent his entire career as a Giant. He has only been on the roster 2009-2010. Before that he's already won a world series with the White Sox.

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  7. Yeah I was saying he's not a career Giant who's just now leaving for the enemy.

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