Rafael Furcal open to a new Dodgers contract

Rafael Furcal's agent said his client would be open to signing a new contract with the Dodgers without testing the free agent market.

The Dodgers have an exclusive window to negotiate with Furcal until 15 days after the World Series.

Paul Kinzer said he spoke to Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti last week about a new deal, but that the two sides didn’t exchange any numbers.

“I sense that they want him back,” Kinzer said.

Colletti said last week that re-signing Furcal was a priority.

Kinzer said that Furcal’s surgically-repaired back shouldn’t affect his value, noting that Furcal has been completely cleared by Dr. Robert Watkins, who performed the midseason operation and monitored his rehabilitation. That being the case, Kinzer said, there would be no reason that Furcal should have to sign an incentive-laden deal with a lower base salary.

Furcal, who turns 31 this week, wants to finish his career in Los Angeles, meaning he could be looking for a deal that is at least four years in length.

“That’s still his first choice,” Kinzer said.

Furcal completed a three-year, $39-million contract this season. That deal included a $9-million signing bonus and paid him $13 million in 2008. Kinzer wouldn’t say if Furcal was seeking a raise.

-- Dylan Hernandez

Photo: The Dodgers' Rafael Furcal gets a hand in the face while tagging out the Philadelphia Phillies' Jayson Werth at second base during Game 5 of the NLCS. Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[sanity]

Signing Furcal to that ridiculous $39 million sum was the start of Ned Colletti's folly. How do you give a guy that didn't know how to hit $13 million/year. McCourt, if you have any sense, get rid of Colletti and let Furcal leave. Don't bid against yourself and overpay this bum, again. I'll guarantee you he wont get more than $5 million from any other team.

[Steve Bush]

I'll agree Coletti has had some blunders in the form of Jones and Schmidt, but some of that is just bum luck, not mindless decisions. I wouldn't characterize Furcal as a guy who "didn't know how to hit" (357 BA 2008 and 200 ROY). Having said that, I'd rather entertain Berroa at 5.5 mil, and save the extra 7-10 million for a legitimate offer for Manny. If we lose Manny, we better get Sabathia.

[Insanity]

Furcal doesn't know how to hit? Where the heck does that come from? Furcal placed 10th in VORP for NL Shortstops this year with just 164 plate appearances. It took 2 to 4 times that many PA for everyone above him. 2007: 14th, largely blamed on a season full of injury. 2006: 3rd. 2005: 2nd. 2004: 4th. So if anything, Colletti's mistake was not anticipating that he'd want Furcal for another year or two and only signing him to three years, but that was a nicely cautious move on his part with Chin Lung Hu developing.

Berroa? Talk about someone who can't hit! He can't really field much, either, so unless your plan is to gamble that Hu can make the transition to hitting in the Bigs, or that DeJesus develops all of a sudden, you are putting an offensive and defensive cancer on the squad and wasting $5.5 mil entirely. Berroa was the 25th best hitting Shortstop in the NL this year, 8 spots below Cesar Izturis.