Update: Colvin is optioned. Uggla is not released. I apologize for running with the seemingly golden news story. The Giants have not apologized for Dan Uggla. Yet.

Dan Uggla has NOT been released -- I put too much belief in trusted sources -- and I very much regret the (three-base) error. — Chris Haft/SF Giants (@sfgiantsbeat) July 31, 2014

Everything below was written with a smile on my face, and a dream in my heart. None of it is relevant now.

★★★

The Dan Uggla era was vicious and violent. Many Twitterers were lost. In the end, the Giants realized he was bad at baseball, and they parted ways with him. If only there were some form of moving pictures or statistical record that could have alerted them before hand. Alas.

Chris Haft had the scoop:

The Giants did not officially announce cutting ties with Uggla, the three-time All-Star, or Colvin, who was signed to a Minor League contract during Spring Training. But multiple sources confirmed that the transactions were engineered.

The final tally for Uggla as a Giant: 0-for-11, one walk, six strikeouts, three errors, a -73 OPS+, and -0.3. Even though it worked out better than any reasonable person could have expected, the Giants felt the audition didn't go well.

Colvin is a little more surprising, even though he has been in an extended slump. Since a 3-for-3 game on June 15, when his OPS was .816, Colvin was 10-for-62, with three extra-base hits. Edit: Colvin was optioned, not released.

The moves come right before the trade deadline, which makes it reasonable to assume that if the Giants aren't about to announce a trade for a second baseman and/or a fourth outfielder, there's one coming.