The St. Louis Cardinals looked ready to address their needs at shortstop ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline Saturday, with rumors suggesting they were on the verge of a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to bring struggling shortstop Rafael Furcal over in exchange for some much needed post-McCourt salary relief. The Cardinals have looked to utility-man Daniel Descalso at shortstop recently, with Ryan Theriot's continued failures at bat and in the field leaving them with a sub-replacement-level hole in the offense.
The Post-Dispatch reports that Rafael Furcal, who has no-trade protection as a 5-and-10 player, would accept a trade to the Cardinals, while other sources have reported that the price would likely be a minor prospect given the Dodgers' need for salary relief and desire to see top prospect Dee Gordon starting at the Major League level.
Earlier this week the Milwaukee Brewers were also looking at Furcal, who's collapsed to a sub-.600 OPS a year after one of the best half-seasons of his career. At his best the switch-hitting Furcal, who emerged as a star shortstop with the Atlanta Braves before arriving in Los Angeles on a big free agent deal, combines speed and on-base skills with above-average defense at shortstop.