Rafael Furcal has hit just .195/.267/.241 during an injury-plagued 2011 season, but with so little shortstop help available, he’s drawing interest from the Brewers and Giants, according to reports.
FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers, who have long held interest in fellow Dodgers infielder Jamey Carroll, are doing background work on Furcal. Rosenthal adds that the Dodgers will trade one of the infielders, but not both.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark mentioned San Francisco’s interest. The Giants have already picked up Jeff Keppinger and Carlos Beltran in recent days, but a healthy Furcal could be a big upgrade over the three-headed shortstop monster of Mike Fontenot, Miguel Tejada and Brandon Crawford.
It doesn’t make a lot of sense that the Dodgers would trade only one: even if they moved both, they’d still have Dee Gordon, Juan Uribe and Aaron Miles as middle-infield options. Carroll is the better bet to go now, since there is widespread demand for him and his salary won’t get in the way. Furcal, who is still owed nearly $5 million, will likely clear waivers, making him a possibility for an August deal.