LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers dealt third baseman Juan Uribe to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday in a six-player trade that was initially blocked.
The Dodgers also sent right-handed pitcher Chris Withrow to the Braves for infielder Alberto Callaspo, left-handers Eric Stults and Ian Thomas, and minor league right-hander Juan Jaime.
The 36-year-old Uribe was batting .247 with one home run and six RBI in 29 games. He became expendable after losing his starting job to veteran Justin Turner and rookie Alex Guerrero, who was hitting .313 with eight homers in 83 at-bats.
Callaspo originally nixed the trade under a provision that prevents any player who became a major league free agent from being traded without his approval until after June 15. He agreed to a $3 million, one-year contract with the Braves in December.
Uribe had a career-best .311 average last season, along with nine homers and 54 RBIs in 103 games. He is making $6,925,000 in the final season of a two-year contract.
“I can’t control what happens,” he said Tuesday through a translator before the deal was completed. “You have to take things as they come. It’s happened to me before. One day you’re here, one day you’re not. Thank God there are other teams that are interested in me.”
Callaspo, who has the same agent as Uribe, played for the Los Angeles Angels from 2010-13 before spending last season with Oakland. He merely had to trade clubhouses after his latest move — the Braves were in Los Angeles for the finale of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Uribe, who helped the Dodgers win consecutive NL West titles after winning World Series rings with the Chicago White Sox in 2005 and San Francisco in 2010, was coming to a team he helped beat in the 2013 NL Division Series. Uribe hit a decisive two-run homer against the Braves in the eighth inning of Game 4, giving the Dodgers a 3-1 series win.
He didn’t provide many highlights this season.
“In professional sports, the guy that performs is the guy that plays,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday.
“Justin has swung the bat well, Alex has swung the bat well, and we’ve been trying to find playing time for him.”
Callaspo, 32, was hitting .206 with one homer and eight RBIs.
Stults signed a $2 million, one-year deal with the Braves and made eight starts, but the 35-year-old was just 1-5 with a 5.85 ERA. He was designated for assignment by the Dodgers.
Thomas, who had pitched in five games out of the Atlanta bullpen, was optioned to the Dodgers’ Triple-A team in Oklahoma City. Jaime, who made the Braves roster in spring training but was quickly demoted after walking four in 1 1-3 innings, was assigned to extended spring training in Arizona.
Withrow is on 60-day disabled list and hasn’t pitched in more than a year. He underwent Tommy John surgery last June and lower back surgery during the offseason. He appeared in 46 games for the Dodgers over two seasons, going 3-0 with one save and a 2.73 ERA. The 26-year-old was first-round pick in 2007.