Dan Uggla isn't bitter about not receiving a long term contract.
All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla said this evening that he isn't bitter because the Marlins are taking him to salary arbitration or jealous of shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who got a multi-year contract last year. "If there were any hard feelings, I wouldn't be here right now,'' he said during a Marlins caravan stop at J.J. Muggs restaurant next to Roger Dean Stadium. More than 300 fans cheered Uggla's appearance.
First off, thank God that more than one person showed up for the event. Talk about an improvement.
Uggla said this evening, "That's just my agent being an agent. I'm not bitter. Not at all. I was just as excited for Hanley to get his deal last year as anybody. He is more deserving of it than anybody on this team.
The article goes on to talk about an interview Danny gave to ESPN. However, to keep everything in context, you can read the full interview here:
So go read it, it is really short. I will wait.
(Theme from Jeopardy entered here.)
Oh, you're back.
Danny's responses remind of my time working in Louisiana. I was very new to the office and a couple of the guys who had been there awhile were discussing why Walter (the big boss) wasn't offered the job in Houston overseeing all operations.
One asked: "Even if they had offered him the job would he have taken it?"
The other replied: "No. But is always nice to be asked."
It is the same deal with a long term contract. Sure the Marlins wouldn't have offered an amount that Danny and his agent would be willing to accept, but it is always nice to think that they want you. It is funny, to me, that people assume offering a long term contract that is below the player's fair market value to a player who has never had one is an insult. Of course they won't take it, but there is something reassuring about it, in that, even though you don't fit into the team's price range, it is nice to know they like the work you do.
One last thing, while Bonifacio and Coghlan may be major league ready, there is no way either one of them will replace the offense that Danny provides.
Don't make me justify last season due to health.