The Cardinals continued their active July by acquiring shortstop Rafael Furcal from the Dodgers for minor league outfielder Alex Castellanos and around $2.5 million.
Furcal has struggled immensely this season, his 6th with the Dodgers. The 33 year old’s only managed an OPS of .520 in 2011 with a batting average just below the Mendoza Line.
Still, St. Louis believes Furcal is an improvement for the club because he allows them to move primary shortstop Ryan Theriot over to second base, a position he appears more comfortable playing.
The Cardinals hope that joining a playoff contender will jumpstart Furcal’s production. The veteran was a valuable player as recent as last year for the Dodgers, when he put up a line of .300/.366/.460 with 38 extra base hits, 66 runs scored and 22 stolen bases over 97 games.
In return for their shortstop, the Dodgers receive Castellanos. The 24 year old has spent the 2011 season with the Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate where he’s hit at a clip of .319/.379/.562 with 19 home runs and 62 RBI’s. Castellanos has made most of his starts in right this year, and has a career OPS of .827 over his 4 seasons in the minors.
For more on the Cardinals and Dodgers, be sure to check out Redbird Rants and Lasorda’s Lair.