Ned Colletti's first acquisition as Dodgers general manager is now no longer with the club. On Sunday, the Dodgers finalized the trade of shortstop Rafael Furcal to the Cardinals for Double A outfielder Alex Castellanos. The Dodgers are also sending cash in the deal, paying all but roughly $1.4 million of the $3.93 million remaining of Furcal's salary.
Furcal hit .283/.351/.406 in his nearly six years as a Dodger, though was a constant injury risk. He played in 617 of 916 possible games, missing nearly a third of his games with Los Angeles. "Raffy was a pivotal part of our success in 2006, 2008 and 2009," said Colletti. "He’s respected by his teammates and people around the game because of how hard he played day in and day out and his passion for being a Dodger. We are very grateful for his contributions to the organization."
Castellanos made the Double A All-Star team this year with Springfield. The 2008 10th round draft pick, who turns 25 on Thursday, is hitting .319/.379/.562 with 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases. "In Castellanos, we’re getting a player who has shown a combination of power and speed," said Colletti. "We hope that he can refine those abilities to a big league standard."
Castellanos has 24 walks and 94 strikeouts in 391 plate appearances. Jim Callis of Baseball America noted, "Despite his 2011 numbers, he doesn't have the bat to profile as a big league regular there."
The Dodgers recalled Dee Gordon from Triple A Albuquerque to take Furcal's spot on the roster.
For more news and information on Rafael Furcal and the Dodgers, be sure to read True Blue LA.