The New York Yankees were ready to let Robinson Cano go in free agency and now that it has happened with a deal to the Seattle Mariners, the team could be looking at making a trade to add a player at second base after signing Kelly Johnson and Dan Uggla on the Atlanta Braves could be a target for the team.
The Yankees are happy with Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann as their major free agent signings and they were comfortable letting Cano leave to the Mariners, as they were not willing to pay as much as Cano wanted. According to ESPN.com, Uggla is a prime trading chip for the Braves, as the team is looking to replace McCann and also Tim Hudson in the rotation and MLB.com speculates that the team will be looking to make some big moves at the winter meetings and that will likely include some pitching.
Uggla has had a rough couple seasons with the Braves, hitting just .220 and then .179 last season and after getting surgery he was left off the playoff roster and that was something that upset him and could be the first sign that a trade will be going down. Uggla had 22 home runs and 55 RBIs last season and he was terrible down the stretch and he could be a first move in a big rebuild for the Braves as they try to make a trade. Uggla hit .220 with 19 homers and 78 RBIs two years ago and that may mean a winter meetings deal.
A number of deals came down before the meetings and Uggla looks like a guy that will move during the set, as he has $26 million left on his deal over the next two years and he has some great power from second base and he also has done a good job of getting walks, even without the average. The team already lost Tim Hudson and they could be in the mix for David Price, but that seems unlikely.
Jeff Samardzija or Kyle Lohse could be options if the team wants to add another arm and they will need it after losing Hudson to the Giants. Price has been fantastic for the Rays and while he would take a lot and more than Uggla to get, he is an option worth exploring. When Uggla was traded to the Braves the team had high expectations, but so far it has not worked out.
The Yankees are in play because of what happened with Cano, but they may not want to take all that money for Uggla after signing Kelly Johnson and the way Uggla has hit over the last two seasons. Cano signed a new deal with the Mariners that has a full no trade clause and the team is the third highest ever and gives him over $200 million like he wanted as well as the years. The two sides came to an agreement after things appeared to turn sour.