The Atlanta Braves have had a slow start to the offseason, but after signing Gavin Floyd things could be picking up, as a Brandon Phillips trade with Dan Uggla could be an option for both sides after the Yankees signed Brian Roberts to help at 2B to replace second baseman Robinson Cano.
The Braves have been looking to trade Uggla all offseason after he has had two very bad years for the team and the team was linked to a trade with the Cincinnati Reds for Phillips, but those reports never progressed to anything more than talk. Both players are owed money, but Uggla has less years on his deal and that could be attractive to the Reds, as they would still have to pay a high price per year for a second baseman, but one that does not cost as much and not for as long if they swap Phillips and Uggla.
According to ESPN.com, Uggla and Phillips were options for the Yankees, but now it appears they are content to move forward with Kelly Johnson and Brian Roberts, who the team signed to a one year deal. Then report says that they looked into a trade for Phillips and at one point rejected an offer including Robinson Cano and the team also looked into the possibility of signing Omar Infante before he ended up signing with the Kansas City Royals.
The Yankees lost Robinson Cano in free agency and he signed a huge deal with the Seattle Mariners for over $200 million and now the team will use Johnson and Roberts and there is a chance they could make another move down the line. Roberts had some solid years with the Baltimore Orioles and he has played in 13-years in the majors and has put up a .278 career on-base percentage during that time and he also has three seasons with 50 or more doubles according to ESPN.com, but he has also been banged up the past few years for the O's.
The Braves have been quiet this offseason and allowed Brian McCann to leave for the Yankees on a big deal and now the team is moving forward with Evan Gattis. The Braves announced moves for their new stadium and they haven't done much roster wise, but they did bring on Gavin Floyd after losing Tim Hudson and worked things out with Brandon Beachy and now they are looking solid in the rotation with Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, Kris Medlen and Alex Wood.
Those players should make up for the loss of Hudson, who signed with the Giants and now the Braves are hoping Floyd can be a consistent starter for the team. Floyd is coming off of Tommy John surgery and said that his arm feels great and he is 30 years old coming into the season with a 70-70 record and the Braves are hoping that he can be a player that goes for 150-200 innings. Floyd said he should be ready by May and the team brought him on a one year deal that is worth $4 million with incentives and it means he could be a free agent next year, since it has no club option.