Not so fast

I may have jumped on the Furcal story a bit too early. But I can’t really be blamed, most major sports news outlets were saying it was a done deal. But apparently it’s not. As of now, he’s contemplating between the Braves and the Dodgers, who have made a last minute push for the shortstop.

Furcal’s agent Paul Kinzer had this to say:

"The Braves are definitely in the lead right now,'' Kinzer said. "That's what I told them last night -- 'right now, he's leaning toward you guys.' But I wanted Raffy to sleep on it so we could talk about it again today. I didn't want him to make an emotional decision, because he was so excited about coming [to Atlanta].

"It's not done until we sign off and there's a physical exam, and we haven't gotten that far. Until a letter of agreement is signed, we don't even start the process to get him to Atlanta for a physical.''

Even if Furcal signed on the dotted line, he’d still need to take a physical and he’s in the Dominican Republic right now, so we’d be at least a day away from anything being finalized. So once again Braves fans, we sit and wait.

I for one am all for this trade provided it does not lead to the trading of Yunel Escobar as some have speculated. This move shores up the middle defense for the Braves and provides a solid lead-off hitter which they have been missing since his departure following the 2005 season. It also allows the team to move Kelly Johnson to left field, his natural position, keeping his versatile bat in the line-up while making him less of a defensive liability (which is my major problem with him as a player.) The Braves still need arms, but I’m telling you, this team is a work in progress. There are some good young arms that could be good 2/3/4 pitchers that the Braves could trade for. No it’s not the ace they need, but it’s a step in the right direction. And quite frankly, the ace they need could be in the minors a year or two away from breaking out, so in the end they may benefit from not trading away a bunch of prospects to San Diego or spending outrageous money on A.J. Burnett.
(Photo: AP; source)