Dan Uggla

As time went by this offseason, many of my predictions and hopes for the Florida Marlins did not happen.

The first being Josh Johnson's contract negotiations reaching an impasse and not getting any starting pitching help.

In past posts, I had mentioned what I had expected from the Marlins' front office, some of these posts talk about Nick Johnson, Dan Uggla, and other players who are on the trade block or their contracts are up. 

So, during the span of time since those posts, a lot has changed. 

About a month ago, I would have completely dismissed any type of Dan Uggla to the Atlanta Braves rumors as just that, rumors.

But, with the Braves still having a hole in left field (a position that many say Uggla could play) and the Marlins seemingly eager to trade their arbitration-eligible second baseman, you have to at least think about it.

Let's first examine what Uggla brings to the table.

For his career, the soon-to-be 30-year-old is a .257 hitter and has slugged at least 27 home runs in each of his first four big league seasons.

Dan Uggla and Johnny Damon .

They do not make sense in Black and Orange, right?

The 2009 Winter Meetings have concluded, and the San Francisco Giants came away looking like they did little, but probably did plant the seeds for a deal or two to take place.

Rumors continue to persist that the Giants are still talking with the Florida Marlins regarding Dan Uggla in exchange for TBD Giants' players. Also, reports that Giants have offers before Mark DeRosa and maybe Nick Johnson and LaRoche, as possible Giants' first baseman.

The free-agent market officially opened last week, ushered in by a flurry of important signings that could truly change the game. Or a general malaise, one of the two, I forget which.

Anyone who studies market trends in baseball can tell you that a high volume of deals get done as the windows are closing, not opening.

Dan Uggla has no qualms about changing teams.

Changing positions, however, is a whole different ballgame.

Uggla, 29, is due a substantial raise via arbitration, and finds himself on the trading block as a result.

Is there a better fit out there for the Dodgers than Dan Uggla?

There is no reason to believe that the Marlins will not be shopping him around over the winter. He got into a well publicised argument with the teams star Hanley Ramirez during the regular season, so guess who is leaving town?

Okay, the 2009 season is over for the Marlins, and there’s a bitterness to that statement that is real, but not relevant. The squad this past year seriously disappointed only those who didn’t recognize they were playing above themselves the entire year.

Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla can flat-out hit.

Uggla has a .826 OPS in his first four Major League seasons and has clubbed 121 home runs, more than any middle infielder in history over the first four years of a career.