Third baseman Juan Uribe is reportedly headed back to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a two-year deal after testing free agency.
Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal was the first to break the news:
Uribe signed a $21 million contract prior to the 2011 season and was a well-documented disappointment over the first two years of the deal, hitting just .199/.262/.289 between 2011 and 2012 and seeing little playing time in the closing parts of the 2012 season.
But Uribe righted the ship in 2013 with a .278/.331/.438 line with 12 home runs and 50 RBI. Like he did for the San Francisco Giants in 2010 before cashing in with Los Angeles, Uribe helped the Dodgers in a big way via his postseason play last season.
Uribe hit two homers in the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves—including a two-strike, two-run eighth-inning homer to send the Dodgers to the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. There, he added three more RBI.
Yet negotiations between the two parties were recently at a standstill. It hit the point where Los Angeles thought Uribe was on his way out, so the team began considering other options such as infielder Michael Young to play third base, per ESPN’s Buster Olney:
Alas, Uribe is back in the fold, and Rosenthal has a quote from a player within the organization who neatly summarizes why the Dodgers were likely content in investing in Uribe once more:
The move sorts things out for the Dodgers defensively. Hanley Ramirez can remain at shortstop, while the newly signed Alexander Guerrero can start at second base. Suffice it to say, the search for an everyday third baseman is over in Los Angeles.
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