Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports is reporting that the rumored deal between shortstop Rafael Furcal and the St. Louis Cardinals is wrapping up now and should be announced sometime in the very near future. That’s a bit of good news perhaps for Cardinals fans who have had a horrible week with the loss of Albert Pujols to the Angels.
Furcal spent 50 games with the Cardinals last season after finally flaming out with the Dodgers and his numbers with the Cards were much better, although they still weren’t that dazzling so this should be an affordable deal for St. Louis. No numbers have been reported yet but given Furcal only had a .735 OPS at the position with a .255 average, it won’t be that much. Furcal only stole 9 bases all of last season with the Cardinals and the Dodgers.
In sum total, the Cardinals are likely wrapping up loose ends after the winter meetings and they were probably going to sign Furcal one way or another independent of Pujols. It’s nice to announce an acquisition, but this Cardinals team has a lot of holes to fill for a World Series Champion. Expect more moves fairly soon coming from St. Louis as they adjust their long-term plans.