LOS ANGELES -- When the Dodgers traded Juan Uribe in late May, the primary reason given was that Justin Turner had won the starting third-base job and Uribe wanted more playing time.
The secondary reason was that, one week earlier, the club had finally completed the signing of 30-year-old Cuban infielder Hector Olivera for $62.5 million to be the third -- or second -- baseman in the very near future.
The Dodgers put Olivera, who hadn't played competitively for two years, on the fast track. In the months leading up to his signing, he worked himself into playing shape at the club's academy in the Dominican Republic.