Report: Juan Uribe signs 2-year deal with Dodgers
Free agent third baseman
has agreed to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two more seasons, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
Sources: Uribe to return to #Dodgers for two years.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 14, 2013
Earlier it was reported that the Dodgers were trying to retain both Uribe and Michael Young in 2014. General Manager Ned Colleti was hopeful of re-signing the former, and it appears now he has done so.
Uribe enjoyed his best season in Dodger-blue in 2013, hitting .278/.331/.438 with 12 homeruns and 50 RBI. He managed to play in 132 games last season, almost doubling his next-best-total with Los Angeles.
Uribe had been viewed largely as a disappointment since coming over from the Dodgers’ arch rival San Francisco Giants in 2010. Prior to signing with Los Angeles, Uribe hit 24 homeruns and drove in 85 runs en route to a World Series title in the Bay. While he has yet to come close to those totals, his career saw a bit of a renaissance in 2013 as he settled into his role, and it appears he has been rewarded accordingly.
According to Rosenthal, at least one Dodgers’ player described Uribe as an “amazing teammate and defender” — which is all Los Angeles will really need out of the hot corner when you consider a lineup consisting of mashers like Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig and company.
Uribe, 34, has spent 13 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles, and is a career .253/.299/.420 hitter with 169 HRs and 694 RBI over that time.