The Braves traded for 2B Dan Uggla form the Marlins back in mid-November and yesterday they reportedly agreed to a new 5 year $62 million deal which just edges out Chase Utley to make him the highest paid second baseman in baseball. Now all the Braves fans who scoffed at the idea of the Phillies handing out big contracts to over 30 players are backpedaling... Clearly the Braves are looking to keep pace with the Phillies in what is largely a one team NL East arms race.
↵Uggla hasn't fared particularly well against the Phillies top four starters... He's a .162 career hitter vs Cole Hamels, .150 vs Roy Oswalt, and in a more limited amount of plate appearances he has hit .368 against Roy Halladay. He has not hits off Cliff Lee, but has only faced him three times. He's also a .158 hitter against Joe Blanton.
↵So does Uggla make up the difference in the gap between the Phils and Braves or offset the acquisition of Cliff Lee? If everyone stays relatively healthy it's not likely. For the Braves, the question is whether Uggla will allow them to keep pace with a team like the Brewers who are made a big move toward the postseason when they acquired Zach Greinke.
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