FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Marlins have traded Dan Uggla to the Braves for infielder Omar Infante and left-handed pitcher Mike Dunn. Uggla has been the subject of several trade talks over the past season, and he was finally dealt today to a division rival.
Uggla hit .287 with 33 home runs and 105 runs batted in with a .369 on-base percentage. It's his fourth season with at least 30 home runs, and set a career high in batting average.
Trading Uggla within the division is always a risk, but it appears to be a part financial move, bringing in Omar Infante, who hit .321 with a .359 OBP and 8 home runs in 134 games in 2010. Infante will be less costly than Uggla and may be productive in a small ball kind of way.
Dunn had a breakout year in his first season in the league, appearing in 25 games and posting a 1.89 ERA and a 2-0 record. The Marlins hope to stockpile their bullpen with capable arms in hopes of remaining competitive in the NL, in large part because the NL East is becoming increasingly more difficult to be competitive in.
With the interest in Uggla around the league, one would think they would search for an offer that would ship him out of the division or even the league.