Dodgers Ink World Series Champ Uribe

Uribe goes to rival LAD

The Los Angeles Dodgers continued a very surprisingly active winter, signing one of their rival's biggest bats.  Juan Uribe, the utility infielder who had very clutch home-runs throughout the 2010 postseason, has signed a 3-year deal worth $21M total. Uribe hit .248 with 24HR and can play 2B/SS/3B.  He will likely be the Dodgers' everyday second-baseman though.  It obviously pays to be a champion, as Uribe is a very good player but not worth $7M per year from a cash-strapped team like the L.A. Dodgers.  Still, the Dodgers have a terrific 2011 club based on a pitching rotation of Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and recently signed Jon Garland and will likely contend in the NL West.

San Francisco Giants Talking to Huff/Uribe

The 2010 MLB Champion San Francisco Giants have quite a bit of decisions to make this offseason, with most of their championship chips upcoming free-agents. General Manager Brian Sabean talked to the Mercury News and explained that he has talked to the agents of both first-baseman Aubrey Huff and infielder Juan Uribe and is hoping to bring them back into the fold next year. Uribe seems to be in for a two to three year pact, as he has provided some terrific pop for a player that can play every position in the infield. As for Huff, the first-baseman provided a bargain for the Giants this year, and first-basemen who can hit 20+ home-runs are huge assets to clubs.

On another note, Sabean made it clear that Pablo Sandoval, the proclaimed "Kung Fu Panda", will not be having weight issues next year and if he does he will risk being sent back down to the minors despite his quality play. Sandoval seemingly weighed himself out of the third-base job this year, with Uribe slotting over to play throughout the playoffs. This is definitely a good move by San Francisco to force Sandoval's hand.

White Sox/Uribe Agree To Terms

The Chicago White Sox re-signed short-stop Juan Uribe to a 1-year, $4.5M contract. The move saves Chicago $500,000 as they had a $5M option in his contract. On the down-side, Juan hasn't had a .300-OBP season since 2005 and has definitely lost a step at short. But who's gonna argue that he's a worse choice than Giant's short-stop Omar Vizquel?

Seems like a move just to save some time up the middle for the White Sox, as Uribe definitely won't be a starting short-stop for much longer.