"Were Dan Uggla about to turn 29, as opposed to 31, this might be a good deal. Were the Braves based in the American League, as opposed to the ol' Senior Circuit, this might be a good deal. But he isn't and they aren't.

The Braves have agreed to re-up Uggla, who hasn't yet played a game for them, for $62 million over five years. That's not nearly Jayson-Werth-to-Washington money, but it's a huge outlay by Braves standards. It's also the biggest contract afforded any second baseman in baseball, and Uggla is a second baseman in name only.

Uggla's real position is batter, and he's really good there. And yes, the Braves needed a hitting upgrade, right-handed hitting especially. So that part makes sense. What makes less is this: To accommodate Uggla, the Braves are willing to weaken an already-crummy defense by moving Martin Prado, who's better at second base than Uggla, to left field.

Defense in baseball is a funny thing: Almost nobody notices it until they see it's not there. Then the wailing begins. The Braves just lost a playoff series because they couldn't play D, but much of that was a function of circumstance: Chipper Jones and then Prado had gotten hurt and poor Brooks Conrad had to play someplace. If the Braves are still lousy defensively in 2011 and beyond, it won't be an accident: It will be because they've made the considered decision to acquire and then extend Uggla."