Several inside sources speculating that the Atlanta Braves have signed shortstop Rafael Furcal. The former Brave would rejoin the team after spending three seasons in Los Angeles as a member of the Dodgers. The Braves also would have beaten out several teams for the leadoff man’s services including Oakland, San Francisco, Kansas City and LA. Neither the team nor Furcal’s agent has confirmed the deal as of 9 am Tuesday morning. Furcal played with Atlanta from 2000-2005. For his career, Furcal is a .286 hitter with 1328 hits and 259 stolen bases. Furcal’s game though is as a leadoff hitter and his .352 sets the table. His 2008 OBP of .439 helped the Dodgers advance to the NLCS. He has also scored more than 100 runs four times and at least 87 runs in seven of his nine seasons. He was recently offered a 4 year/$40M deal from Oakland.
if this actually happened, that would be AWESOME. True, Furcal was hurt last season, but you saw how he played down the stretch. He and ManRam carried that team into the playoffs. Manny was good, great even, but Furcal was JUST as important down the stretch and in the playoffs.
But Furcal back on the Braves FINALLY gives the team the table setter that Giles, Johnson and Escobar couldn't be. It just gives the Braves a tablesetter at the top and would allow the #2 (Escobar if Furcal plays 2nd or Johnson if Escobar is traded and Furcal DOES play short) and #3 (CJones) hitters to drive him in OVER AND OVER. With the leadoff situation FINALLY solved (if it is....) and with a shortstop, perhaps NOW Escobar can be shipped for either RHP/ACE Jake Peavy or a leftfielder (Rick Ankiel perhaps?).
Bottom line, the Braves probably would have loved to have had AJ Burnett, but if you can get Furcal AND Peavy instead, your ballclub is better.
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