Rafael Furcal Rumors: Monday

My goodness. Unless the Dodgers know Furcal's medical condition is absolutely terrible, they are completely stupid for not resigning him. The deal is even an annual pay cut.

Again.

Coletti is a HORRIBLE GM. Dodger fans should be yearning for DePodesta to come back (and that's saying something!).

wow, the a's really are sick of losing. they are ready to spend. if they do sign furcal, i think they would go hard after giambi. that would leave them with a pretty formidable lineup in 09 with a lot of good young pitchers ready to make an impact. they could contend.

wow, everyone ripped colletti if he was going to give furcal a two or three yr deal. he beens hurt too much, etc. but when a report came from a dominican newspaper, which have proven not-so-correct(franky rod to the mets) that hell sign a 4yr deal? good luck As, hope u have a good back-up-plan

I would not give Cabrera or Renteria more than a one year deal as stopgaps for Hu or DeJesus...

DeJesus is about 2 years away. Hu is glove ready, but is a 4A hitter. IMO, Hu is the stop gap, and the Dodgers should pass on Cabrera and Renteria, utlizing their money on pitching and ManRam. They should sign a utility guy like Punto or Cintron who can play short. Although, Cabrera might have a shot to have National League bump to his production.

Billy Beane has a reputation for being a pretty smart guy! He must feel comfortable with that medical report. The Dodgers better get Manny or another big bat in the order if they're planning on having a AAA shortstop. Manny was the only reason they got away with Berroa last year! And no Colletti...DO NOT bring back Julio Lugo!!

"Still wondering why Beane traded Haren, Blanton and Harden if the A's have this kind of money to spend on Holliday and Furcal. "

Easy - the A's are loaded with young pitching in the minors. Haren was somewhat questionable, but they got a very good return and do you really blame Beane for dealing Harden with all the risk that he brings?

interesting take on the Mets. So they're going to have 2 second basemen making a total of $20 million per year for the next 3 years???

And pay the price of two closers this year???

Also wonder who'd lead off, Reyes or Furcal???

""Still wondering why Beane traded Haren, Blanton and Harden if the A's have this kind of money to spend on Holliday and Furcal. "

They dealt Haren, Blanton, Swisher, and Harden to build up the farm system and free up money, so they can go out and get Holliday without depleting the farm (two of the guys in the Holliday trade were from the Haren trade), and have a steady stream of young talent through the pipelines for years to come.

If the Mets are offering Furcal money that could be better spent on a closer, then someone needs to kick Minaya out of the building and not let him back in till he sobers up.

I can't wait till five years from now when the Met's realize they really blew it by not surrounding David Wright with the right pieces to win a championship.

4/48 is not a good option for Furcal. His injury history is too worrisome for a club like the Dodgers, with so many holes, to pursue. They should use internal options at SS and sign O-Dog to play 2B.

This is a beautiful deal.

Come on A's, please sign him.

Mystery Team= agent created rumor to drive up the asking price of other teams.

"Maybe, but I'm hoping it's the White Sox. They could move Furcal to 2B and Ramirez to SS, or just keep Ramirez at 2B if Furcal won't move. Then one way or another you solve both the 2B and leadoff man problems."

Then why were the Sox dumba-ses and traded for Wilson Effing Betemit.

Gordon Beckham will force the Alexei move to SS in a couple of years. No way the Sox block their top prospect w/ a 4 year signing of Furcal.

"but it's unclear to what degree."

Um, how about 100%?

What's with these Latin news sources? First, the bogus K-Rod article and now the bogus Furcal article. Very sketchy journalistic credentials/integrity to say the least...

Well Renteria to the Giants. So that leaves Oakland and Willie Wankas Mysterious Team of Althetes...

I think the mystery team is the Royals. That's cause I'm a Royals fan. No real sound reasoning to it.

"Then why were the Sox dumba-ses and traded for Wilson Effing Betemit.

Gordon Beckham will force the Alexei move to SS in a couple of years. No way the Sox block their top prospect w/ a 4 year signing of Furcal."

I feel like Betemit is more of a third baseman for them until Dayan Viciedo is ready, maybe sharing some time with Josh Fields. I'm trying really hard to not vent on that Swisher deal, which was essentially trading away your farm for a guy and then trading him a year later for nothing. Ugh.

And I agree that the mystery team surely isn't the White Sox. But then I wonder, why would they be interested in Hudson all along then, as has been rumored? I think the White Sox could be that team under one scenario: The White Sox sign Furcal to play shortstop, with Alexei Ramirez sticking at second. When Gordon Beckham is ready, Furcal, whose defense will likely have declined some, will move over to second, with Ramirez moving to center field. That could very well be a potential plan for Chicago, because Furcal fits their needs offensively perfectly, and would be a huge addition to that team in the short term.

Well, I really really wish they showed the "surprise team"...

OAKLAND OAKLAND OAKLAND OAKLAND

Walkoffblast, I'll try and spell it out for you. My comment was pure sarcasm, as Tim pointed out. It stems from the comment directly above mine that stated...

"What's with these Latin news sources? First, the bogus K-Rod article and now the bogus Furcal article. Very sketchy journalistic credentials/integrity to say the least..."

Then I posted...

"I'm glad there are no sketchy journalistic writings or bogus rumors here in the US.

It's only those Latin news sources."

Meaning that it was a bad judgement call on the poster to single out Latin journalism bogus reports. Maybe the poster did not mean it, but it came out that way.

Btw, today has had various bogus reports from various sources.

Thank you.

If the Braves sign Furcal at 4/52, then we can basically guarentee that either Escobar or Johnson is gone. Maybe this is the precursor to a Johnson/Ludwick deal, or maybe they're talking to the White Sox about Dye. Obviously if they're this serious about Furcal, then they have some sort of Johnson/Escobar for a power hitting OF or a starter deal being seriously discussed.

The Renteria rumor is what we'd in the Army call, "Bad Poop" , but whoever said it might have had a purpose such as to complicate the Furcal situation. I woke up this morning thinking Furcal was definitely going to Oaktown.

I logged on for the day 5 minutes after the Renteria rumor was posted saw, zero comments, and bypassed the chance to be the first comment in order to immediately ask Tim if it was obtained via a radio stream or via online print. As soon as Tim confirmed stream , I felt a huge rush to check out other sites and nobody reported it. Only that Edgars' agent and SF had exchanged offers. I thought this was legit because of the timing and the need and low cost of Renteria. Honestly though I thought that the Furcal deal was done with Oakland and Mr Kinzer was denying it just to keep the cost down by not starting a bidding war. If you say the deal is done before it is, then someone calls your bluff and starts a bidding war. Especially when the two bidders share the same metro area. I think Furcal is going to Oakland. By saying the negotiations are distant it lets the Giants think that they have more time then they actually do. Somehow Renteria plays into someones motives. Someone, probably, associated with or loyal to the A's leaked the story to WFAN because it had to come from somewhere credible or that WFAN guy should be fired.

It would be awesome move for the Braves. Furcal would bring an energy on the base path and in the dugout that has been absent since his leave.

If the Braves sign Furcal, can Escobar be traded to the A's. In a three-way for Peavy, with prospects going to SD?

It would be perfect.

Although, if I'm a Braves fan, I'd MUCH rather have Escobar than Furcal.

If the Braves sign Furcal, Jake Peavy is a Brave within 24 hours.

They MUST shore up the MIF in order to protect Lincecum. They MUST sign Orlando and they must sign a shortstop to compliment him, unless Burriss is an advanced fielder for his age and experience.

Scribbletone, I saw Gordon Beckham a few games in AFL, he reminds me of Gabe Kapler. That is a good and also bad. Could be another flop.

"Scribbletone, I saw Gordon Beckham a few games in AFL, he reminds me of Gabe Kapler. That is a good and also bad. Could be another flop."

The scouting reports about Gordon Beckham have been nothing but great so far, and he really seems like he could factor into the White Sox as soon as late 2009. Scouts say he projects as a 25-30 HR power hitter with good contact ability and solid plate discipline as well as a solid glove at short or a plus glove at second. As far as most people can tell, this guy is going to be a good player and pretty soon.

Hey Scribb, I said the same thing about Kapler as did alot of people. They are very very similar. Kapler was a bodybuilder and Beckham was a Polo player. They were both professionals in those disciplines which require more discipline than do baseball. Baseball is a good sport for boring people who like boredom. I thought Kapler would go 30/30. He is too rigid to do so though. Beckham is set up in the MIF so thats a positive, but looking at their rigid stances they both are R/R. They both are very muscular. Beckham has alot of potential but hes not a sure thing. Its all or nothing for him at 2B because I dont see him being a SS and someone who is used to succeeding at something like Polo and probably everything else he has done , I wonder how he would handle a failure at 2B and having to move to another position. He is a great guy, everyone likes him and roots for him. Im just saying alot of things could go wrong.

I am a scout and I just saw him play a week ago.

Okay and I'll take your one opinion with a grain of salt, just as I'll take the other 20 opinions I've read from other scouts, whose credibility is superior to yours. I never was really disagreeing with you anyways.

Scouts dont scout to get anyone to believe that they are a scout. They do it actually for the exact opposite. Oh no , disagreeing, such a bad word. Oh no, a puke, oh no , fool. Wow, what great commentary. I write to myself because that is what a scout does. Maybe one person will agree with me where 100 people will not. Thats how contrarians succeed.

The fact that the response is so dismissal in tone ,to the possibility that a scout would be posting in here says that most of you dont welcome that news. That is amateurish. I see things before it happens. The way you are talking about Gordon Beckham is funny. Hes going to be better than Cano or Hudson. Wow. That is just rediculous. He just turned 22 a month ago. How can I be the bad guy by doubting him, he just turned 22. That is hilarious. You people just get mad that someone has confidence in their statement which simply shows envy. Scouts can do nothing but praise him at this point, he has a prefect track record. Nothing in life is that easy. Sorry. Logan Morrison was the best hitter I saw in spring. Doolittle was solid. Adrian Cardenas is overrated. I saw him make an error on a play that would have ended the game. Hes speedy but hes not that great. I think Triunfel is everything that Adrian Beltre was hyped to be. Chris Josh Reddick plays amazing defense in RF and has a rocket arm. Now if you were saying that Eric Young Jr was as great as youre talking about Beckham I couldnt disagree with you and he is only one year older. Chris Pettit can hit. Mike McHenry has alot of pop for such a compact player. Austin Jackson wont make it with the Yankees. Miranda hit alot of foul ball rockets, if he can make a small adjustment in his timing he could be very solid. Its quite impressive that the solidly-built Matt Weiters is a switch hitter. You can see how Van Pope was a prospect but now seems a bit of a flake. Ian Desmond does resemble a Jeter-like talent but he seems disinterested or in a phase of his life where baseball is not at the forefront of his mind. Tommy Hanson is the real deal as is Phil Hughes. Clay Buchholz is kind of flakey. Gaby Hernandez is quality. Brian Bogesevic has alot of potential that people are saying about Beckham.
I can spot talent, the first time I saw Jose Arredondo throw a fastball in Spring Training 2007 , I was in awe. I could go on all day. I could write a book better than Baseball Prospectus and the Bill James Handbook with my eyes shut. Although Bill James has some good concepts.

dbacks2008,

Have you seen Tommy Hanson play? I havent been able to yet in person but it seems he is the real deal. Whats your take?

What does this have to do with Furcal?

Tommy Hanson is going to be MVP of the league and its said that he may be the best pitcher in AFL history. Hes definitely got to be the best Braves pitching prospect since Kevin Millwood.

I also love Mlb Gameday. As a braves fan living far from atlanta, They arent on TV anymore since their contract ran up with TBS. I watch it often cause im to cheap to buy mlb.tv

Hows Tommy's change up looking?

The main reason Braves sent him down there was to work on his change up and some extra innings. That's why I asked.

Wow, this Beckham stuff is "rediculous".

Oh yeah the first AFL game this year I was watching, the only player who stood out, Daniel Murphy? No, John Raynor Switch Hitter on Marlins. The next day he hit for the cycle and unfortunately he left early in Oct with a broken bone in his hand.

"I could go on all day. I could write a book better than Baseball Prospectus and the Bill James Handbook with my eyes shut. Although Bill James has some good concepts."

I actually took the time to try and login simply to let you know you are a moron.

First of all, anyone on here who was a scout would not need to brag about it, or anything that they have done. If you wanted to be of use, you would simply respond to questions with intelligent responses. Responses like this show that you are a teenager with too much time on your hands; it's pretty pathetic.

Let's try and keep this on Furcal, you can brag about yourself on some other forums.

bdlugz,

I'd give the guy some credit for what he wrote up about those pitch sequences. If he's just pulling that out of his a$$ that's pretty ridiculous. I agree that comparing himself to Bill James or Baseball Prospectus is out there and I'm a huge stat head myself. Still, I do find the scouting side of things incredibly interesting and I personally wish there were similar sources (like James and BP) available on different scouts and their breakdowns and scouting reports of prospects. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and hoping that's what he was getting at.

Bdlugz, I stated that a scouts job is not to prove everything to everyone but the exact opposite. Thats why im on this website so that I can get things off of my chest in anonymity. If that does not make perfect sense to you then I dont know what will. I dont think I am responding with anything but intelligent responses.

Nixa37 , exactly. He has a career ahead of him just like Kapler did. The haters on here think im saying that he wont have a career and that hes horrible. They have teeny tiny minds. He is stiff at the plate and if hes stiff at the plate that doesnt fare to well for someone who plays the most fluid position on the field. Hes definitely going to strike out alot. I can picture what youre saying about his swing being too long, hes definitely going to strikeout alot, and I dont know if I can say his wrists are fast but they are strong so he can probably fist MLB pitching into RF. Lots of jams and broken bats. He will swing at inside pitching for sure. Hes going to be exposed for being stiff just like Kapler was. If I remember correctly I think he had one of the more amazing bat shatterings of the Fall.

I just went and read the new article on the ASL website and the scouts consensus is that he doesnt great range and SS but is adequate. Thats how I feel about him at 2B, he is not going to have great range at 2B , he is not QUICK, because he is bulky. I mean he probably has 1 percent body fat but hes still not going to have great range. Still he can put up great fantasy numbers at 2B so that is probably what most people on this site are concerned about.

I dont think he could possibly play SS. I think he looks alot bigger than his reported size. He is very strong bulk wise, that is for sure, and I just see problems with him making plays on a consistent basis. He will be solid. I mean if Kapler could be adequate at 2B he would have been playing every single day and not in a platoon.

My bad studio. It appears i should have directed my ire at the poster above you. I was just scanning the thread and your post jumped out at me. The part that makes me look double stupid is I distinctly remember looking around to see if it was sarcasm and not finding it. Too bad it was obvious if I had merely read the above post more carefully. Long story short turns out I could not agree more with everything you said.

Could Yunel play 2B? Pushing KJ to LF if Furcal is signed. Interesting thought.

1.Furcal
2.Escobar
3.Jones
4.McCann
5.Johnson
6.Kotchman
7.Francouer
8.Schafer/Anderson/Blanco/(Edmonds or Kotsay?)

btw, chipperowns10, Hudson won't be pitching next year - Tommy John.

WestCoastBias you know thats honestly not a bad plan for the Bravos. It doesnt appear that the Braves are interested in offering Burnett a long-term 5 yr deal. I think we are going to have to over-pay to get Lowe but I hope we can get him. Garland would def. be a nice fit. I would like to see Hanson as a five.