Dan Uggla

The Marlins have offered Dan Uggla a four-year deal that starts with $8MM in 2011, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter).  The second baseman, however, is seeking a five-year pact with the club.

It was suggested late last week by the Palm Beach Post's Joe Capozzi that the Fish could have offered a four-year deal to the two-time All-Star.  Uggla's agent Terry Bross told the paper that there was some "movement" in the negotiations.

A 2011 salary of $8MM would essentially represent a lateral move for Uggla in the short-term as he earned $7.8MM this season.  Uggla is expected to earn upwards of $10MM next season if he heads to arbitration.

Agent Terry Bross told Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that there has been some “movement” in negotiations with the Marlins about a long-term deal for Dan Uggla. The second baseman, who is one year away from free agency, seeks a five-year deal and the Marlins had been offering a three-year extension worth roughly $24MM.

Though Bross didn’t say as much, the “movement” could mean the Marlins offered a four-year deal. Earlier in the week, Marlins president David Samson told Capozzi that the team is “definitely” discussing a deal with Uggla and hopes to work something out. 

Uggla, 30, hit 32 homers in 2010, reaching the 30-homer mark for the fourth consecutive season and posting the highest OPS of his career. He earned $7.8MM and is headed for an arbitration raise that could place his 2011 salary at $10MM or so. I suggested a month ago that a three-year $24MM deal would not be fair for someone as accomplished and close to free agency as Uggla.

Dan Uggla and the Marlins have interest in working out a long-term deal, but according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Uggla's representation is asking for more than twice as much as the Marlins are offering; Uggla would like a five-year $58MM deal, but the Marlins are offering "in the range of three years and $24MM."

If the Marlins go to arbitration with Uggla this offseason, he should earn $10MM easily. He earns a $7.8MM salary this year and seems destined for another big raise given his offensive stats (32 homers, 100 RBI and counting). In a sense, a $10MM salary in 2011 is a given. On top of that, the Marlins are effectively offering a two-year $14MM deal.

Sure, it'd be nice for the Marlins if Uggla, one of the best second basemen in the game, wants to stay in Florida so badly that he'll take a paycut to do so. But Uggla could pocket $10MM in 2011 and hit the open market 13 months from now in search of $40-50MM more. Most second basemen don't hit 30 homers with the same consistency Uggla does, so he'll have no trouble finding multi-year offers if he hits the market next winter. 

The Marlins' offer does not appear to be worth taking, but the sides have six months before the 2011 season, so the team's proposal is by no means final. And if he's discouraged by the Marlins' offer, Uggla can look across the locker room to teammate Josh Johnson, who signed an extension last offseason after it seemed unlikely that he and the Marlins would agree on a multi-year deal.

Dan Uggla told Jim Bowden on Fox Sports Radio today that negotiations for a contract extension with the Marlins are moving "really slow." Bowden suggests (via Twitter) that Uggla is unsure at the moment whether he and the team will be able to reach an agreement.

Last we heard, the Marlins and Uggla were far apart on both years and money. The 30-year-old is seeking a five-year deal worth close to $60MM, while the Fish were reportedly willing to offer about $30MM over three years. Based on Uggla's comments, it appears the two sides have made little headway toward a compromise.

Even if an extension can't be worked out, Uggla remains under team control next year, his final arbitration-eligible season. The Marlins avoided going to arbitration last winter, signing their second baseman to a $7.8MM contract for 2010. The 30-year-old has responded with perhaps the best year of his career (.284/.368/.515) and will certainly be in line for another raise this offseason.

Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla is seeking a five-year extension in the $55-60MM range, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  As Rosenthal notes, such a deal would cover his last arbitration year as well as four free agent seasons.

Back on August 7th, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald suggested the Marlins were willing to do a three-year deal in the $30MM range.  Uggla, who switched from Beverly Hills Sports Council to Gaylord Sports Management this summer, said in July that a Marlins extension "would make me a very happy man."  He'll certainly have to drop his demands if he's to remain with the Fish beyond the 2011 season.

In Uggla's defense, there's no perfect comparable for a second baseman who will have over 150 home runs over his first five seasons and signs one year away from free agency.  If Uggla's agent thinks his client is in the discussion with Robinson Cano and Chase Utley, those players will get $14-15MM per free agent year.  Brandon Phillips, Aaron Hill, and Ian Kinsler will make less, but all five had less service time than the five years Uggla will and signed contracts covering different portions of their careers.

Talks between the Marlins and second baseman Dan Uggla about a contract extension are in the "preliminary" stages according to Uggla's agent Terry Bross (as reported by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro) but it appears as if Florida wants to keep its all-time home run leader in the fold.  A three-year deal appears to be the target of these negotiations; such a contract would cover Uggla's final year of arbitration and his first two free agency seasons.  Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported last weekend that the Marlins were looking for a deal with Uggla worth around $30MM over three years, but "the sides are far apart" on the dollar figure.

We first heard of these extension talks amidst the Uggla rumors that cropped up before the trade deadline.  Florida was heavily shopping Uggla last winter but now apparently see him as one of the core players that the traditionally thrifty franchise is comfortable with offering a longer-term deal, as they did Josh Johnson last January. 

Uggla has certainly done enough on the field to merit a contract — the .284/.372/.520 slash line that he carries into Friday's play represents career bests in all three categories for the 30-year-old.  Uggla is no wizard defensively (a -4.7 UZR/150 this season) so if the Marlins do lock him up through 2013, they might consider a position switch down the road.  Uggla and the Marlins avoided salary arbitration last winter when the second baseman agreed to a $7.8MM contract for 2010.