Furcal Now going with Dodgers...Updated
bman90278
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From ESPN
Free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal is poised to return to the Atlanta Braves, according to a report on FoxSports.com.
Furcal
Furcal
According to a major league source, a contract agreement is expected to be announced on Tuesday, pending Furcal passing a physical, according to the report. The deal is believed to be for three years with a vesting option for a fourth season.
ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reported Monday that the Oakland Athletics had offered Furcal a four-year, $40 million deal. But Furcal is said to prefer returning to one of the two teams he has played for -- the Braves or the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"[The Braves] are in deep. He's seriously considering it," Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, said Monday, according to FoxSports.com.
Signing Furcal could allow the Braves to move shortstop Yunel Escobar to second base or market him in a trade. Escobar had been part of discussions in a potential trade for San Diego Padres starter Jake Peavy.
Furcal played his first six seasons in Atlanta, where he was the 2000 Rookie of the Year. He spent the last three seasons with the Dodgers, but played in only 36 games last season due to back issues.
A career .286 hitter, Furcal, 31, has missed 150 games over the past two seasons but makes an impact when he does play. He batted .357, with a .439 on-base percentage, in 36 games for the Dodgers last season, after hitting .270 with 25 steals in 2007.
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My thoughts....
I think the Dodgers are blowing it big time if they don't throw an offer down to make sure they get Furcal. He's one of the premiere shortshops in the game, he can hit and lead off...That's what the Dodgers need. I have always felt teams need star shortshops and the Dodgers have failed in that department for as long as I can remember.
Yes there are better shortstops than Furcal, but who is available???
If Furcal signs with the Braves......Who else is left? No one unless they pull off a trade and that would mean giving up great young talent.
I've been very unhappy with Coletti since he joined the Dodgers and will be even more mad if he blows the Furcal deal.
Free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal is poised to return to the Atlanta Braves, according to a report on FoxSports.com.
Furcal
Furcal
According to a major league source, a contract agreement is expected to be announced on Tuesday, pending Furcal passing a physical, according to the report. The deal is believed to be for three years with a vesting option for a fourth season.
ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reported Monday that the Oakland Athletics had offered Furcal a four-year, $40 million deal. But Furcal is said to prefer returning to one of the two teams he has played for -- the Braves or the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"[The Braves] are in deep. He's seriously considering it," Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, said Monday, according to FoxSports.com.
Signing Furcal could allow the Braves to move shortstop Yunel Escobar to second base or market him in a trade. Escobar had been part of discussions in a potential trade for San Diego Padres starter Jake Peavy.
Furcal played his first six seasons in Atlanta, where he was the 2000 Rookie of the Year. He spent the last three seasons with the Dodgers, but played in only 36 games last season due to back issues.
A career .286 hitter, Furcal, 31, has missed 150 games over the past two seasons but makes an impact when he does play. He batted .357, with a .439 on-base percentage, in 36 games for the Dodgers last season, after hitting .270 with 25 steals in 2007.
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My thoughts....
I think the Dodgers are blowing it big time if they don't throw an offer down to make sure they get Furcal. He's one of the premiere shortshops in the game, he can hit and lead off...That's what the Dodgers need. I have always felt teams need star shortshops and the Dodgers have failed in that department for as long as I can remember.
Yes there are better shortstops than Furcal, but who is available???
If Furcal signs with the Braves......Who else is left? No one unless they pull off a trade and that would mean giving up great young talent.
I've been very unhappy with Coletti since he joined the Dodgers and will be even more mad if he blows the Furcal deal.
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Comments
The Atlanta Braves have reached preliminary agreement on a multiyear contract with free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal, a baseball source told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
The deal is pending completion of a physical exam.
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As a lifelong Dodgers fan I'm now totally pizzed off at Ned "I have no ballz" Colletti. THey made it clear their number 1 priority during the offseason was to get their infield in place and to re-sign Furcal. Now it appears he will be back in Atlanta and there are no SS's available unless they make a trade.
I hope he has a trade set up with the padres, Escobar and prospects for peavy. SS is not a need for our team, and i doubt that Escobar to second base is in the works, Kelly Johnson seems to be supported by Cox and had a good end to the season. This is money that should be going to strengthen the rotation, or land a power outfielder, not another infielder. Ill give Wren the benefit of the doubt, but if we are not able to go after a Jon Garland type pitcher later on because of a shortage of funds, this will be the reason.
http://sportsfansnews.com/author/andy-fischer/
<< <i>what is Frank Wren doing? >>
You answered your own question...he's not addressing the needs of your fabled organization.
<< <i>Screw the Dodgers, what is Frank Wren doing?
I hope he has a trade set up with the padres, Escobar and prospects for peavy. SS is not a need for our team, and i doubt that Escobar to second base is in the works, Kelly Johnson seems to be supported by Cox and had a good end to the season. This is money that should be going to strengthen the rotation, or land a power outfielder, not another infielder. Ill give Wren the benefit of the doubt, but if we are not able to go after a Jon Garland type pitcher later on because of a shortage of funds, this will be the reason. >>
Agree X 100,000,000,000
<< <i> bman - if you guys really want a SS, I think Julio Lugo can be had for next to nothing. You just pay part of his outrageous salary and he's yours. >>
Hi Von, thanks for thinking of us. I think we had Julio a few years ago and I know we don't want him back. Certainly not at 9M a year.
Brian
<< <i>
<< <i> bman - if you guys really want a SS, I think Julio Lugo can be had for next to nothing. You just pay part of his outrageous salary and he's yours. >>
Hi Von, thanks for thinking of us. I think we had Julio a few years ago and I know we don't want him back. Certainly not at 9M a year.
Brian >>
how about for $9.00 a year? Boston will pay the rest.
<< <i>how about for $9.00 a year? Boston will pay the rest. >>
You da man barndog...Would that kind of be like the Manny to the Dodgers deal last year, but with a no impact player?
12/16/08 3:48 PM EST
Dodgers still talking with Furcal
LOS ANGELES -- Despite a flurry of rumors that Rafael Furcal has agreed to a contract with the Atlanta Braves, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said he's been told by the shortstop's agent that the Dodgers are still under consideration.
"We're still in conversations with them," Colletti said Tuesday. "There's a certain level we're not going past. We aren't aware of other deals."
Even if Colletti sweetened the offer Tuesday, he's been clear that he won't guarantee more than two years to Furcal, who missed five months this year with a back injury that needed surgery. Furcal is seeking a four-year deal, but Colletti won't give him that coming off an injury after giving him a three-year deal when he was healthy. The Dodgers are believed willing to include a third year that would be guaranteed if he stays healthy for the first two.
"I don't have a feel for whether to be optimistic or not," Colletti said. "I just know we're still talking. They assured us it's not a done deal."
ESPN.com news services
Updated: December 17, 2008, 12:23 AM ET
The courting of free agent Rafael Furcal has turned into something of a circus, with many twists and turns -- and the way it's playing out, somebody is going to be irked.
On Monday afternoon, officials involved in Furcal's negotiations were convinced that the Oakland Athletics, with an offer of four years and $38 million, were the front-runner to sign the shortstop.
Wrong.
Late Monday night, club executives engaged in talks with Furcal's representatives were informed that Furcal was on the verge of a deal with the Atlanta Braves, at three years and $30 million, and a vesting option for the fourth year based on Furcal playing 132 games in the third year of the contract.
Wrong.
Now sources are saying that the Los Angeles Dodgers have re-engaged in negotiations with Furcal, and as of Tuesday afternoon were working to bring back the shortstop.
Where it stops, nobody knows.
Earlier in the day Tuesday, a source close to the situation told ESPN.com that Furcal had reached preliminary agreement with Atlanta pending completion of a physical exam.
As the day progressed, agent Paul Kinzer stated publicly that Furcal had yet to commit to the Braves, where he spent his first six major league seasons. Atlanta general manager Frank Wren didn't respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
"The Braves are definitely in the lead right now,'' Kinzer said. "That's what I told them last night -- 'right now, he's leaning toward you guys.' But I wanted Raffy to sleep on it so we could talk about it again today. I didn't want him to make an emotional decision, because he was so excited about coming [to Atlanta].
"It's not done until we sign off and there's a physical exam, and we haven't gotten that far. Until a letter of agreement is signed, we don't even start the process to get him to Atlanta for a physical.''
Furcal is still in the Dominican Republic, and Kinzer planned to fly to New York later Tuesday for a Wednesday news conference that will introduce another one of his clients, New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez, to the New York media.
Since the winter meetings ended in Las Vegas last week, the shortstop's options had been becoming narrower by the day. The Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals dropped out of the running for Furcal, and Kinzer said Tuesday morning that Oakland was no longer in contention. He said the Dodgers and the Braves are the only candidates left in the race.
"I still haven't talked to the Dodgers,'' Kinzer said Tuesday afternoon. "I'll let them know in person if [Furcal] makes a decision.''
That was before sources told ESPN The Magazine that the Dodgers' negotiations with Furcal were gaining momentum later in the day Tuesday. The two sides had talked as recently as 7 p.m. ET.
Kinzer confirmed that the Braves have talked to Furcal about the possibility of shifting from shortstop to second base, a move that could result in the shift of second baseman Kelly Johnson to left field. Yunel Escobar, Atlanta's starting shortstop in 2008, had been mentioned recently as a candidate to be dealt to San Diego in a package trade for pitcher Jake Peavy.
Furcal spent the past three seasons with the Dodgers, but played in only 36 games last season due to back issues.
A career .286 hitter, Furcal, 31, has missed 150 games over the past two seasons but makes an impact when he does play. He batted .357, with a .439 on-base percentage, in 36 games for the Dodgers last season, after hitting .270 with 25 steals in 2007.
Information from ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick and ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney was used in this report.
WTF with Furcal and his agent. Is the agent filling teams full of smoke or what?
Again, I really hope the Dodgers spice up his offer as Furcal is a big need and priority of the Dodgers. If Colletti doesn't get it done, we can add this one to a big list of his mistakes..
Nomar? anyone?
<< <i> " Furcal, 31, has missed 150 games over the past two seasons" >>
That's kind of misleading as Furcal missed most of those games last year because of his back...Also, Joe Torre really made sure Furcal was ready when he came back too.
Brian