Fresh off of signing three pitchers to the starting rotation, Ned Colletti is now adding more punch to the offense.
Juan Uribe has agreed to a three-year deal worth $21 million to join the Dodgers. The deal is pending a physical, so there's always the slight chance it falls through.
What Uribe gives the Dodgers is a power hitter who can fill a hole in the infield, most likely at second base. Last season, he hit .248, but with a 24 homers and 85 RBIs. Project those numbers with the Dodgers, and he would have finished second in homers (Matt Kemp, 28) and third in RBIs (Kemp, 89; James Loney, 88).
Another good quality of Uribe is his versatility playing the infield. While it looks like he'll be at second, he has plenty of experience at short and third as well. He doesn't look like the trimmest person in the world, but he has a great glove, which makes him very valuable for later in games when there's defensive shuffling.
Three years has probably struck people as being too long. But, my guess is the Dodgers had to be bold in order to get him, hence the extra year or so. Colletti knows that he couldn't go through another season with such little pop in his lineup, so this is a nice move.
With Casey Blake and Rafael Furcal another year older and not as productive as they once were, Uribe can slide into their positions as well to provide some rest. Still, look for another third baseman to be brought in as well since Blake can't be considered the everyday answer there anymore.
Heading into the Winter Meetings next week, Colletti can keep focusing on improving the offense. He's off to a great start with Uribe, but he can't stop there. Adding another power source will be key.
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