Dan Uggla went on XM radio today and had this to say when asked about joining the Braves:
"It's definitely a spot where I could see myself playing out the rest of my career."
"(The trade) is a best case scenario for me...Extremely happy that I was traded to an organization like the Braves."
While I don't think he'll be spending the rest of his career in Atlanta -- unless Uggla decides to call it career when he's 34 or 35 -- count me in as someone who would like Uggla to come back for a few years once 2011 is up, assuming he produces offensively and isn't totally awful in the field.
Reports said he turned down 4 years and $48M from the Marlins and then requested an enormous 5 year, $71M deal, but at this point it sounds more and more like Uggla just wanted out of Florida and didn't care about the money. It's publicly known he wasn't happy when the Fish let go of his good friend Cody Ross and it's ironic Uggla would ask for $1M more than what Hanley Ramirez got on his last contract. Something tells me they don't really like each other...
Anyways, this is a good debate for the at least the next few weeks. Uggla will have a huge role on the 2011 team and he probably has two or three good years left in him until he starts to rapidly decline. Do the Braves attempt to extend him for two or three years to anchor our lineup, or do they let him go after just one season, save the money and get the two draft picks? He's from the area and there's a chance he would take a hometown discount to remain in Atlanta.