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 â€œthe favoritesâ€ to land his clientâ€™s services, Rafael Furcalâ€™s agent told reporters on Wednesday that things are â€œswinging back toward Dodgers, probably.â€

Paul Kinzer, Furcalâ€™s agent, indicated Wednesday that Furcal would likely make a decision by dayâ€™s end.

The Dodgers were â€œin conversationâ€ with Kinzer on Tuesday, with one source saying, â€œThey are talking big-time.â€

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 Aâ€™s are believed to have made the high offer for Furcal â€” 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.