Editorial: Rafael Furcal Resigns

So I've been watching all the drama that's come from the Rafael Furcal signing and trying to figure it all out.

It's a lot of he said/he said, but from what I gather, there's probably going to be more than a few boos for Furcal when the Dodgers travel to Atlanta in 2009.

In any case, whether or not there was some shady business going on in the deal, I really like the signing, as it solves a lot of problems.

Well, first things first, I'm not crazy about the amount of years. However, it really became obvious that we would need to offer Furcal at least three years to get him. So, even though I don't like it, I understand it had to be done.

That's what I didn't like. Here's what I like about the signing:

1. It shores up our infield. With the earlier signing of Casey Blake and now with the Furcal signing, plus having the right side of the infield pretty much penciled in as James Loney at 1st and Blake DeWitt at 2nd, we don't need to think about our infield anymore. We also got our utility infielder in Mark Loretta. Sure, maybe you add a defensive replacement here and there or a pinch hitter, but for the most part, any questions about the infield in 2009 should be solved. That's pretty good considering that coming into the offseason, three spots on the infield were, for the most part, question marks. Furcal, when healthy, is a name you can put on the lineup card every day.

2. We don't need to look for another shortstop. This includes having to trade away prospects to try and bring in a player to play short. Trading away the kids should be the last option. However, this also means we won't be signing a player like Orlando Cabrera. Not to say he's a horrible player, but Furcal is younger, and when he's healthy, he easily outhits Cabrera. Plus, signing Cabrera would mean surrendering a draft pick, as he declined arbitration earlier in the offseason.

3. ...and most important: we have a leadoff hitter. I guess this correlates with #1, but it's important. Sure, Furcal is a name you can put on the lineup card every day, but more importantly, he's a name you can put at the top of the lineup card. Without Furcal, the question of who would end up leading off for us in 2009 would be a pretty daunting one. With Juan Pierre asking for a trade, we really wouldn't have an established lead off hitter on the team. We could put Matt Kemp back in the role, possibly, but I'd still like to have his bat more in the middle of the lineup. Now, with Furcal back, that really becomes a moot point because we, once again, have an excellent leadoff hitter on the team.

Then again, this is all good if Furcal can stay healthy. The back issue is a bit scary, but if he can make it through the year, our team is going to be that much better.

Let's keep those fingers crossed...