Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports the Pirates are one of eight teams to check in on free agent Rafael Furcal, according to his agent.
Furcal, 36, missed the entire 2013 season with St. Louis after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. The former National League Rookie of the Year in 2000, signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Cardinals before the 2012 season.
The three time All Star played in 121 games with the Cardinals in 2012 and batted .261/.325/.346 with 18 doubles, five home runs and 49 RBI in 531 plate appearances. His defense has been in steady decline and he’s no longer the plus defender he once was.
Additionally, Furcal has missed over 500 games to the disabled list since the 2008 season.
While he could provide an upgrade over Omar Quintanilla or Ruben Tejada, I’m not so sure that it would be much of an upgrade. Honestly, if it came down to Tejada or Furcal, I’d take the 23-year old with the higher upside.
