December 10th, 2013 at 6:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka With the Hot Stove blazing hot on the first day of the Winter Meetings in Orlando, FL, there appears to be one guy who is as cold as ice – at least as far as the Dodgers are concerned.
Former Dodger third baseman and current free agent Juan Uribe is apparently dragging his feet in responding to repeated offers from Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti to return to the Dodgers for what is believed to be a one-year or perhaps a one plus one deal. Such a move might not be wise for the the 34-year-old Palenque, Dominican Republic native.
Absolutely nothing good can come from Uribe’s unwillingness to communicate with the Dodgers. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
It was rumored last week that the White Sox had offered Uribe a two or perhaps even a three-year deal, which the Dodgers are unwilling to match. But regardless of the offer, the lack of communication with Colletti does not bode well for Uribe if he has any desire to return to the defending NL West Champs.
“Everybody can go do what they want to go do,” said Colletti. “Hopefully, this week we’ll have more conversations with (Uribe and his agent) and at least get an update on their position. I’m in need of an update on their position.”
Colletti made it crystal clear on Monday that the Dodgers are prepared to move on quickly from Uribe in their search of a third baseman, perhaps even for a top-tier third baseman – although such a move would have to come via trade, as there aren’t any top-tier free agent third basemen available. If the Dodgers go this route, Uribe could conceivably be left out in the cold and could end up with a lesser contract or end up with a non-contending team, say… like… the White Sox or the Marlins, who are also reportedly interested in him.
No one will argue that Uribe had an outstanding season in 2013 when he hit a very impressive .278 with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. Then again, no one will argue that he was absolutely horrible during the first two years of his insane three-year/$21 million contract either. In fact, he was so bad during those first two seasons that rarely did a day go by where someone wasn’t calling for Uribe to be designated for assignment. It was this Jekyll and Hyde three years with the Dodgers that has them reluctant to offer Uribe anything but a one or one+one deal.
Uribe has always been a great clubhouse presence for the Dodgers, even during his first two dismal seasons. He also had a huge influence on young Yasiel Puig and was considered one of his mentors, along with veterans Adrian Gonzalez and Hanley Ramirez.
Uribe’s influence on Yasiel Puig was huge this past season – regardless of what Dbacks GM Kevin Towers may think. (Ron Cervenka – ThinkBlueLA.com)
Ironically, Uribe could play a huge role in determining the short and long-term future of the Dodgers. It is believed that if he does agree to return for one or even two years, it would be to fill in at third base until top infield prospect Corey Seager is MLB ready – thus preventing the Dodgers from having to go after a long-term third baseman this off-season. This would then allow the Dodgers to focus their efforts on going after another starting pitcher such as Masahiro Tanaka or perhaps even David Price. But if Uribe is not re-signed, the Dodgers will have to focus on acquiring a third baseman, which could take them out of the Tanaka or Price market. It could also conceivably delay Seager’s progress to the big leagues, although Seager is probably still at least two years away.
But no matter what Uribe has done over the past three seasons with the Dodgers (good or bad), his and his agent’s unwillingness to even communicate with Colletti will do noting more than alienate himself from the Dodgers and could eliminate any chance of him returning – if it hasn’t already.
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The White Sox appear to be lukewarm on Uribe now. Three years is too much for the Dodgers to consider.
Justin Turner’s name (Mets) has been bantered around as a Dodger utility player. Not sure he can fit a full time 3B role. He is versatile, young and a Long Beach guy. Justin Turner
Omar Infante is still out there but probably wants a long term deal.
According to Buster Olney (via Twitter), Infante wants a long-term deal @ $8M+ per year.
Just Say No, Ned!
RT @Think_BlueLA: New post: Is Juan Uribe shooting himself in the foot? – http://t.co/KiRnKzexkI #Dodgers #Dodgerfam
Uribe is violating the RSVP rule – nothing worse than having a “party” and your guests don’t RSVP. Then you have to call them and no matter what the answer, you’re still a bit pissed.
It looks like Uribe and his agent is very slowly playing a cat and mouse game with the Dodgers, waiting to see what comes first, getting a disirable offer from some other team or from the Dodgers. He seems to be the mouse.
Maybe Uribe and his agent want to play cat & mouse, but I can assure you that Ned Colletti won’t. If Uribe doesn’t accept Colletti’s 1+1 offer today or tomorrow, Colletti will absolutely move on.
This shows Uribe’s true colors – he’s willing to put an additional contract year ahead of playing for a contender. I guess the $21M he has in the bank isn’t enough.
DLTDHYITAOTWO.
The Marlins are now reportedly out on Uribe and the Dodgers have indeed offered him a 1+1 deal.
Haha! This from Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter):
Looks like your mouse just got stepped on, Joe.
ICYMI: Is Juan Uribe shooting himself in the foot? – http://t.co/LH9BKBI0EK
RT @Think_BlueLA: ICYMI: Is Juan Uribe shooting himself in the foot? – http://t.co/LH9BKBI0EK
Maybe Juan should check with Jody Reed on this. If he is only bidding against himself that might not work well. He has already made $40M in the game.
Reed was offered a three-year $7.8 million contract extension by the Dodgers after the season in 1993 but turned it down in order to become a free agent. He eventually wound up signing a one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers for only $350,000 plus incentives.He made a total of $2.875M in the next four years and retired losing out on $5M.
Jody Reed is also the reason why Juan Bustabad got bumped as the Quakes manager – this in spite of the fact that Busty was twice voted Manager of the Year.
Needless to say, I am NOT a Jody Reed fan. But back to Uribe…
Uribe better not wait any longer – this just in on Twitter:
I thought about Youkilis but doubt he can make it through the season: 102, 120, 122, 28 games in the past four years. He had back surgery in 2013.
Youk is a good guy to have around. He plays all out all the time and will be 35 in March. He definitely has given his body a workout. He is a good fielder but not as good as Uribe. I still can’t believe what Uribe did in the field in 2013. I also think Uribe will sign with the Dodgers.
Youkilis might still be a good bench player – 3B, 1B, PH. His K/BB ratio is 1.5 which is pretty good.
With everyone else losing interest in Uribe, maybe we should as well. Or maybe he’ll see the light and take the 1+1. As much as I like Youkilis, I don’t see him as the answer as we don’t need another fragile player.