Juan Uribe Trade Rumors: Dodgers Deal Third Baseman to Braves for Alberto Callaspo and Four Other Players

For weeks we've known that the Dodgers had a logjam at the hot corner. With the emergence of Alex Guerrero, the Dodgers essentially have had three starting third baseman and not enough playing time for each of them.

Something had to give, and on Tuesday it appears it did.

According to multiple reports, the Dodgers have agreed to trade veteran third baseman, Juan Uribe to the Atlanta Braves who currently occupy the visitor's clubhouse in a projected six-player deal. Callaspo was scratched from the Atlanta lineup just minutes before the start of Tuesday's game.

The Dodgers originally reached an agreement to trade Uribe to the Braves on Monday evening. Atlanta would be sending a veteran infielder of their own in Alberto Callaspo to Los Angeles as part of the trade, but the deal fell apart on Tuesday morning when Callaspo reportedly refused to waive his no-trade clause.

However, Callaspo's no-trade clause expires on June 15 and it appears that the Braves told the struggling star that he would either be traded or released outright after that date. With that in mind, Callaspo has changed his mind.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Callaspo has reversed course about going to Los Angeles after speaking with several former teammates. Rosenthal reports that the deal would involve six other players and the Dodgers would be getting starting pitching back in return with either Trevor Cahill or Eric Stults.

The deal makes sense for the Dodgers who are in need of pitching depth after season-ending injuries to Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Also, with Cuban third baseman, Hector Olivera, signed, sealed and delivered as of last week, the Dodgers could presumably have four different third baseman by the start of June.

Uribe batted .311 last season and was the runner-up for the Golden Glove award at his position. He's struggled to start the season and has just one home run with six RBIs in 81 at-bats in 2015. Uribe's downfall might have been when he entered for an injured Justin Turner during the second series of the season in Arizona. Uribe did not warm up properly, and tweaked his hamstring on the very next play.

Uribe and Turner's injury made room for Guerrero who immediately went on a tear. He's hit back-to-back homers in two consecutive games as of the writing of this story, and has eight home runs, 20 RBIs and is batting .309 on the season.

Callaspo has also struggled to start the season and plays third base. But the Venezuelan can also play second base, a position the Dodgers might use him at to give Howie Kendrick an occasional day off.

It's also possible that the Dodgers could drop Callaspo down to the minor leagues, or designate him for assignment. The deal is done, pending approval by the Commissioner's office, which is expected to approve the deal on Wednesday morning. If that were the case, both players would simply change locker rooms when they arrive at Dodger Stadium. We will have more information for you as the story develops.

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