Fredi Gonzalez spoke to WCNN in Atlanta about a few Braves topics, one of which being the blockbuster trade for the power hitting Dan Uggla. Obviously, Gonzalez is more than happy to have his old second basemen back on the team. He went as far to say at first he thought it was "too good to be true."
Obviously, the Marlins have had a smaller payroll than most teams since their inception. When Gonzalez managed the team, this was the case as well. He often had to deal with being in a "seller" situation rather than a "buyer." When asked how he feels about the roles reversing he said, "That is something that I haven't done in three and a half years and it is great, it is a great feeling."
The topic moved to Chipper Jones' health, and Fredi seems as optimistic as one can be about the prospects of Chipper returning next spring. At this point, one would have to be surprised if Chipper did not end up playing next year. His knee is coming along at the correct pace, and his determination to get back on the field and leave the sport on his own terms will likely drive him to play in 2011.
His replacement if he were to retire would be Martin Prado. However, if Chipper returns, Prado will move to left field, a position he has played in winter ball in the past. Prado is a gamer, and he is comfortable with moving positions yet again. Not many All-Stars would be fine with moving from position to position as Prado has, but he understands that his flexibility is one of his assets. Moving positions is just something that comes with making this a better team, something that Prado has ensured the fans and the team he is focused on doing.