On Friday the Washington Nationals added another second baseman to give themselves a number of options for Opening Day. Also in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves added depth at the catcher position.
After back-to-back horrible seasons, Dan Uggla has a chance to redeem himself. The 35-year-old signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals and got invited to the team's spring training. Uggla batted just .149 last season with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs in 52 games with the Braves and Giants. San Francisco picked him up and hoped he could help them out, but he was 0-for-11 in four games before being let go.
Prior to the 2013 season, Uggla was a three-time All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2010. His best years were with the Florida Marlins, during which he slashed .263/.349/.488 with 154 home runs and 465 RBIs in five seasons. His power numbers remained fairly steady during his next three years with Atlanta, but his batting average witnessed a significant drop (.209/.317/.391 stat line).
Washington likely hopes Uggla can return to his previous days as a slugger since they have no concrete solution at the second base position heading into 2015.
As for Uggla's former team, the Atlanta Braves have added catcher A.J. Pierzynski on a one-year deal with a base salary of $2 million plus performance and award bonuses. The soon-to-be 38-year-old spent last season with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals and batted .251/.288/.337 with five home runs and 37 RBIs in 102 games. He still remains a solid defensive catcher and good game-caller.
The two-time All-Star owns a career stat line of .281/.320/.424 with 177 home runs and 837 RBIs in 17 MLB seasons. He's only one season removed from a solid campaign with the Texas Rangers and two seasons removed from a career year with the Chicago White Sox. The Braves likely view him as a veteran influence for youngster Christian Bethancourt, who is expected to begin the season with the team.
The NL East is headed for a competitive year in 2015 as each team has been relatively active this offseason.
