Which Team Will Sign Rafael Furcal?

The Tigers!!!!

JK

Where ever he goes, he'll be sure to spend the majority of his contract on the DL.

"I say he comes to Oakland and avoids the DL while putting up quality leadoff hitter numbers and plays above average SS"

Optimistic Athletics fan who's excited that his team is shelling out cash for once.

I actually agree that he'll be a solid buy for whoever signs him though.

This whole Frucal situation is insane. He was overpaid during his time with the Bums. No way he should get a larger contract after his last two seasons.

scribbletone, I'm not entirely optimistic, just givin a Dodgers fan a hard time.
I'm not seriously going to say that Furcal is absolutely going to avoid or stay on the DL for an extended period of time. It's so ridiculous how many people make these predictions like it's fact. Of course I'm excited to see the A's finally pony up some cash and possibly fill a hole at such a vital position.
I'll say this: If Furcal averages 140+ games a year under a four year deal, than the team that signs him will have gotten their money's worth, i'm going to assume that he'll still put up solid numbers over each of those seasons.
If he doesn't and spends a long time on the DL, than every major baseball critic will come back with their "I told you so" spiel. Regardless, the only person who really knows Furcal's health are Furcal, and his doctor. ultimately, any larger amount of money for any player is a risk for fear of injury, but as an A's fan, I would be willing to put up $12-14 MM on the books for the next 4 years to take that risk at a premium position like SS, for a true leadoff hitter...

Until proven otherwise - no matter how unlikely and ridiculous it may seem I am sticking with my initial guess - Yankees. Jeter in CF furcal at ss or trade cano and put furcal at 2b. I cannot wait for the accolades when this pans out lol

Furcal was putrid or hurt 60 Percent of the time he was on the Dodgers.

For once, I agree with Colletti, let the guy go...

Not sure he is going to improve or be healthier as he heads into his mid-30s...

I didn't pay much attention to the Dodgers/Phils series this year as I iwas busy watching my Cubs lose again :( LOL. However, didn't I see highlights of Furcal booting some routine ground balls that were, if not game-breakers, at least morale-breakers for his team?
Please correct me if I'm wrong. As I said, I only vaguely remember some highlights I might have seen. Anyway you slice it, I hope the Cubs do not sign him on name recognition alone. I personally think he was over-rated in his prime and he is definitely no longer in his prime.

L8r.

Oh yeah, my guess is San Francisco, just to be different.

actually that's not going to be their lineup...
Crosby is all but out the door if Furcal signs, and Barton is probably given some time in AAA while Cust takes the DH spot and Giambi would be at 1st...

That's a terrible lineup for the A's. You completely left out their best hitter last year.
Its going to be more like

1: Furcal (SS)
2: Sweeney (CF)
3: Holliday (LF)
4: Cust (DH
5: Giambi (1B)
6: Chavez (3B) (if healthy)
7: Buck (RF)
8: Suzuki (C)
9: Ellis (2B)
Is more realistic. When Mark Ellis is your 9 hole hitter, you have a very nice offense. With these guys, the offense doesn't rely on Chavez to be healthy. If Buck develops into the kind of power he was showing at the end of last year, that's some interesting power in the 3-7 spots.

To the person who said the yanks should sign him- most people have come to terms with the fact Jeter isnt a SS anymore, and he will most likely be in CF or 1b in acouple years. However nobody is going to make him move and unless he goes to managment and says hey ill move its not going to happen.
Next to the person who mentioned furcal making errors, hes still one of the best defensive SS in the game, ive seen Juan Pierre hit home runs before doesnt mean hes a power hitter.

6 years, $10.3 MM?!? Source?

Whoever signs Furcal will have to overpay, and will likely get mediocre numbers in return. He hasn't exactly had good numbers in his career, just decent, and he will probably get more than the 3/39 deal he had 3 years ago. So, he will be overpaid for big time.

Any mention of the Red Sox? I think it makes sense. Red Sox execs (and fans) are clearly unhappy with the production they're getting from Lugo as made evident by the recent trade talks with Detroit among other things.

At the same time, I'm not 100% convinced the Sox are ready to hand the position over to Jed Lowrie yet either. Furcal will give the Sox an upgrade both offensively and defensively over Lugo. It will give them a prescense at the top of the lineup - someone who can post a decent OBP with good power and without sacrificing speed.

A Furcal signing would allow Lowrie to move to the super-utility role where he is currently best-suited. And in the event that Furcal does spend some more time on the DL, the Sox have a capable insurance plan in Lowrie.

I would like to note to the person above that called BOBBY Crosby BUBBA Crosby, theyre 2 different people. 1 played for the Yankees and after stints with the Red and M's he retired.

First I would like to note something that people dont seem to be talking much about in the A's regard and that is their need for an ace. They have some great young pitching talent but they need a veteran starter to give the rotation stability. I think Ziegler has the potential to be a really great closer so he will fit in there nicely and Im not suggesting that the A's go out and spend 900 million on Sabathia or one of the big name starters but what about spending like 8-10MM on someone that the young starters can maybe look to for some guidance.

In regard to the offense, picking up Giambi would be pretty silly if you ask me, they have Cust to DH and Barton is getting better all the time, plus they have a couple of young prospects. Spending 10+MM on Giambi would be wasted money.

Chavez is the big question though. Can he ever stay healthy? Should they look at a back up plan for him and potentially put Crosby at 3rd as mentioned above? I dont think Crosby is as good as gone if Furcal comes aboard because Chavez has played a total of 113 games in the past 2 seasons and both years theyve been stuck with a rotating group of people at 3rd base and missing a big piece of defense and offense as a result.

In my opinion, if they move Crosby and pick up Furcal they should 100% have a back up plan for Chavez. Someone affordable like maybe Vazquez, Uribe, Loretta etc that could come in and be effective from the bench if Chavez has another injury plagued season. And if he does, I suggest they just buy him out and call it a day with him.

The A's have potential though. A great looking outfield, some solid defense and a good looking team overall but they have some holes to fill still.

xethicx-

I agree with you on Giambi, and going after a backup. Giambi will give back a ton of runs at 1B, albeit scoring more. And, he's going to decline more. The backup would also be a regression plan on Barton as well; if Barton puts up horrid numbers, demote him and put in a backup. Hannahan can defensive sub, since he's zero bat and all glove.

"A Furcal signing would allow Lowrie to move to the super-utility role where he is currently best-suited."

I have seen nothing to make me believe that Lowrie is best suited for a super-utility role. He can easily perform as a starting SS.

*Jeter, sorry got a little excited