The St. Louis Cardinals worked on some odds and ends early this week, choosing to sign Rafael Furcal and Skip Schumaker to two-year deals and letting go of the sucky Ryan Theriot.
Schumaker signed on for two years, $3 million after batting .283 in 117 games for the reigning World Series champs last season. He went on to hit .381 in the postseason with the lone RBI in a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 5 of the National League division series... yes, that would be the game in which Nick Punto ripped off Chris Carpenter's jersey. While Schumaker roamed the outfield on five separate occasions in 2011, the 31-year-old is most comfortable at second base, where he made 89 starts last year.
Theriot, who lasted up until the July 31 trade deadline before being replaced at shortstop by the newly-acquired Rafael Furcal, is now a free agent. He'll make a lovely bench-warmer for any team.
Speaking of which, Furcal and the Cards have also agreed to a two-year deal, worth a little bit more than Schumaker's. In fact, he's worth like four or five Schumakers. The switch-hitting shortstop will make $14 million over the next two seasons, including a signing bonus of $1 million with salaries of $6 million next year and $7 million in 2013.
Not bad for a lead-off hitter with a cannon of an arm, especially if he stays healthy. Furcal had a tough, injury-riddled 2011 in which he batted a career-low .231 in just 87 games with eight home runs and 28 RBI.
[StL Today]
1 comment:
Mmmm..shirtless Chris Carpenter.
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