On Tuesday it was reported the Dodgers and Braves were nearing a trade that would send third baseman Juan Uribe to Atlanta and infielder Alberto Callaspo to Los Angeles. However, Callaspo rejected the deal because he has such rights until June 15 under the collective bargaining agreement.
Later that night FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported the deal was back on and it again involved six players. Initially, no other names were disclosed and Rosenthal noted each of the other players were minor leaguers. Here's the breakdown of the finalized deal:
Dodgers get:
INF Alberto Callaspo (.206/.293/.252 with 12 runs scored, one home run and eight RBIs)
SP/RP Eric Stults (1-5 with a 5.85 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in nine games, eight starts)
RP Ian Thomas (0-0 with a 3.38 ERA, 1.688 WHIP and five strikeouts in five games)
RP Juan Jaime (0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 3.00 WHIP in two games, totaling 1 1/3 innings)
Braves get:
3B Juan Uribe (.247/.287/.309 with six runs scored, one home run and six RBIs)
RP Chris Withrow (0-0 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.313 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 20 games in 2014) *recovering from Tommy John surgery
The trade comes as no surprise because the Dodgers needed to do something with their crowded third base situation. Alex Guerrero has been outperforming Uribe this season and he's signed through 2017 while Uribe will become a free agent after 2015. Additionally, the Dodgers signed Cuban infielder Hector Olivera in the offseason and he's expected to play third base once he reaches the MLB.
On the other hand, the Braves, under new president of baseball operations John Hart, have been very active on the trade market since the offseason as the team looks to rebuild. Hart traded away stars Justin Upton, Evan Gattis, Jason Heyward, Craig Kimbrel and Jordan Walden, along with Melvin Upton Jr., Tommy La Stella, Chasen Shreve and David Carpenter, among others.
Atlanta can use Uribe at third base and give Chris Johnson some days off as he gets reacclimated after returning from the disabled list today while the Dodgers will likely use Callaspo in some sort of utility role off the bench. Callaspo rejected the trade at first because he said he liked his teammates and enjoyed playing in Atlanta, but he eventually told the Braves he was willing to accept the deal.
It's now pending the approval of MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
The Dodgers and Braves made the trade official with their announcements on Twitter.
UPDATE: Callaspo was offered $100,000 from the Braves to accept the trade, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
