Comments on: Furcal to Braves, maybe

By: Taylor H

Taylor H — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:40:39 +0000

The day after saying the Braves were “the favorites” to land his client’s services, Rafael Furcal’s agent told reporters on Wednesday that things are “swinging back toward Dodgers, probably.”

Paul Kinzer, Furcal’s agent, indicated Wednesday that Furcal would likely make a decision by day’s end.

The Dodgers were “in conversation” with Kinzer on Tuesday, with one source saying, “They are talking big-time.”

Earlier Tuesday, it appeared that Furcal had all but decided to go back to the Braves, the team for whom he played his first six MLB seasons. Atlanta offered a three-year deal worth approximately $30 million, according to major-league sources, and included a vesting option for a fourth year that likely will push the potential value to $40 million. Furcal would still have to pass a physical before any deal can be approved.

The A’s are believed to have made the high offer for Furcal — four years guaranteed in the $40 million range, according to major-league sources.

So says Ken Rosenthal.

By: moz57

moz57 — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:39:12 +0000

I don’t want to repeat what’s already been asked (though I’m going to), but was there ever any source showing that Furcal was an option for the Mariners? I love Furcal and I’d love to see him signed in Seattle but is it just wishful thinking on my (our) part?

By: joser

joser — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:03:35 +0000

I don’t believe Zduriencik has made any statements regarding the middle infield. This is just the next obvious opportunity for an upgrade.

By: josh_h

josh_h — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:03:46 +0000

Is there any evidence that Z is seriously considering trading Yuni? Or is this just wishful thinking from the USSM/LL community? I’m not saying trading him or not trading him is “correct,” I’m just asking if the M’s FO has shown any real desire to deal him… Thanks.

By: 300ZXNA

300ZXNA — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:19:28 +0000

wow, if ATL signs him and puts him at 2b, that sounds like it would be one heck of a rangy middle infield for them. What’s the general adjustment for a player going from SS to 2B? I know Furcal is about average defensively at SS, so how would that translate to 2B?

By: Sports on a Schtick

Sports on a Schtick — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:07:47 +0000

Maybe is definitely right. Word is now that the Dodgers are back in the mix.

By: killer_ewok18

killer_ewok18 — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:16:33 +0000

By defense, they could have meant they were hiring Everett as a bodyguard. That might actually be a good signing.

By: JMB

JMB — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:12:43 +0000

Here in Atlanta, they’re saying Furcal will play 2B with Escobar staying at SS.

When I first saw the Everett to Detroit headline, I thought it was Carl Everett.

Ditto. Even funnier was that the headline I saw said something like, “Focusing on defense, Tigers sign Everett.”

By: CMC_Stags

CMC_Stags — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:34:53 +0000

So is the SS/2B Free Agent market now devoid of upgrades either in general or defensively over Yuni/Lopez?

Barring a trade, how will the M’s look infield defense wise next season? If I take rough 2-3 year UZR/150 averages for each likely infield defender next year, these are the options.

3B – Beltre ~ 10 UZR/150
SS – Yuni ~ -10 UZR/150
2B – Lopez ~ 0 UZR/150
1B – Branyan ~ 0 UZR/150

Assuming that group, the M’s would post about a league average infield defense.

Looking at the larger picture, assuming Chavez (+20 UZR/150 in LF), Gutierrez (probably around a +5 in CF), and Ichiro (+5 in RF) are your 3 outfielders the total team defense would be around +30 UZR/150. That would be a team average of 3.75 UZR/150, good for 8th best in the majors last year.

Other options on the 40 man roster with enough history to tell us anything meaningful:

3B – Branyan ~ -10 UZR/150
SS – Morse ~ -25 UZR/150

Corona, Hulett, Morse (at non-SS positions), Tui, and LaHair don’t have large enough samples at the MLB level to tell us anything about their defensive abilities.

By: terry

terry — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:30:52 +0000

I know the Braves claim they won’t trade Escobar but he would actually be a much better target than Furcal (the perfect target for the Ms IMHO). The addition of Furcal might actual crack the door on someone’s chances of trading for Escobar.