Luring free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal to Toronto was always a long shot for the Blue Jays.
Reports yesterday said Furcal is on the verge of returning to his original major-league team, the Atlanta Braves, in a three-year deal. The news would not have been so bad for the Jays had Furcal signed with the Oakland A's, because then the Jays might have been able to deal for A's shortstop Bobby Crosby. But now ...
Atlanta, meanwhile, is dangerous.
Spurned by former Blue Jay starter A.J. Burnett, who said no to Atlanta's five-year, $80-million (all terms US) offer and signed with the Yankees, the Braves have money to burn.
Teams sometimes end up overspending on lesser free agents in such situations. The Jays, for example, signed right-hander Erik Hanson to a three-year, $9.5 million deal after the 1995 season after they tried and failed to land more expensive free agents.
They then turned to Hanson, who made 45 starts in three years with the Jays, going 13-20.
Yet the Braves are the wise ones in this equation. If they land Furcal, they feel they have enough flexibility to enter the sweepstakes for right-hander Jake Peavy of the San Diego Padres.
Atlanta GM Frank Wren could deal shortstop Yunel Escobar or second baseman Kelly Johnson in a package for Peavy. Furcal can play second or shortstop.
TOP PROSPECTS
Right-hander Phillippe Aumont of Gatineau ranks third on the Seattle Mariners' top 10 list. Aumont, signed by Wayne Norton, was 4-4 with a 2.75 ERA at Single-A Wisconsin. Nick Weglarz of Stevensville is ranked third on the Cleveland Indians prospect list, according to the highly respected Baseball America. Signed by scout Les Pajari, Weglarz hit .272 with 10 homers and 41 RBI at Single-A Kinston, despite missing a month for the Olympics.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Former major league outfielder George Wood, it turns out, was born somewhere in Prince Edward Island, according to Retrosheet.org.
Never heard of Wood? Well, neither have we.
But he was a Dandy -- or at least that was his nickname.
Born Nov. 9, 1858 in P.E.I. -- the town as yet unknown -- he made his debut with the Worcester Ruby Legs of the National League on May 1, 1880, played 13 seasons, including one year as playing manager, umped three seasons and died in Harrisburg, Pa. Baseball-Reference.com lists his birthplace as Boston.
Wood's case is not unusual.Many Canadians who played in the majors in the 19th century lied about their birthplace to gain employment.
