On The Block:  Rafael Furcal

Why He’s On The Block: There’s too many shortstops on the Dodgers.  Furcal was signed to a fat contract his past year.  However, Rafael Furcal is having troubles on defense and more often than not is being bailed out by Nomar Gacriaparra.  With Cesar Izturis getting closer to a minor league rehabilitation assignment, the Dodgers will be faced with the scenario of moving Furcal to another position, perhaps third base.  However, Furcal has stated that he signed with the Dodgers to play shortstop.  If he refuses to move, the Dodgers are going to be forced to make a decision. 

Negotiable:  Yes.  The Dodgers want to keep his trade value high, so they’ll be extremely accommodating to the shortstop.  With that said, the Dodgers are hoping to get either a quality setup reliever or a power-hitting left fielder.

What He Offers:  Furcal is good player, but nowhere near the hype he deserved.  Still, here's what he offers.

Plus:  Can serve as a leadoff man.

·          Plus:  Switch Hitter

·          Plus:  Provides above average offense

·          Plus:  Quick.

·          Minus:  Inconsistent defensive player.

·          Minus:  Not a lot of power.

·          Minus:  Large contract.

He Stay Or Will He Go:  80-20% on him staying, because his contract makes it hard to do so.  Plus, many of his suitors from the off-season found replacements that are suitable.  Still, he’ll have takers, and here’s who could be interested.

·         Toronto Blue Jays – 50%.  The Jays could use some more production out of shortstop.  While you may think that any team with Vernon Wells, Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay or Bengie Molina doesn’t need anymore help, the Jays are having trouble with their starting pitching, their offense is going to have to carry their team more and more if they hope to get into the post-season.  While adding Furcal would not only give the Jays more depth in their lineup, it would also cost them a lot in terms of pitching prospects or payroll flexibility. 

·          Boston Red Sox – 20%.  Unlike with Izturis, the Red Sox are much less ready to jump on Furcal.  Furcal has already committed 11 errors.  While some may attribute this to his off-season surgery, the fact is that Furcal hasn’t exactly been Ozzie Smith with the glove at short.  This could bring up memories of the dearly departed Edgar Renteria, who Boston wasted no time in trading.  Plus, with Furcal’s contract, the Sox aren’t going to bite unless the Dodgers are interested in taking a big contract of their own off their hands:  Manny Ramirez.  However, the Dodgers would have to include several young players in the deal to get equal value, which is not going to happen.

        Chicago White Sox – 15%.   Juan Uribe has looked awful as of late playing shortstop.  While he’s only a year older than Furcal, he’s looking like he’s starting to break down a bit.  Anyhow, if Uribe continues to do poorly and the Dodgers are willing to deal, Kenny Williams could offer a package of Uribe and Brandon McCarthy to snag Furcal.  Furcal has a higher OBP than Uribe, is faster and would make the back end of the rotation more dangerous.  Still, at the moment, with heavy hitters Jim Thome and Paul Konerko in the mix, the White Sox have hitting enough. 

 ·        San Francisco Giants – 10%.  The Giants could deal Visquel and his expiring contract to the Dodgers.  The Giants would gain a young shortstop that they could use for the future rebuilding process in Frisco and the Dodgers would gain an aging player that has so far given the same amount of offensive numbers while improving the defense.  Will it happen?  Probably not, considering the rivalry and the fact that the Giants are in the division.  And that's not including the fact that this doesn't solve the left fielder issue.

        Washington Nationals - 5%.  The Nats have talked with the Dodgers about a trade that could bring Alfonso Soriano to the Chavez Ravine.  While Furcal isn't an answer, he'd be a lot more productive than Royce Clayton, who's now just a backup, plus fill the lead off spot.  The problem is that the Dodgers would have to take on a lot of Furcal's contract obligations, which at the moment are a bit too pricy for the Nats, plus throw in a decent prospect.

End Result – Remains with the Dodgers.