Colletti's Most Important Agenda

Now that the off season signings are pretty much over aside from a few minor league invites here and there, I feel that Ned should turn his attention to the next big issue: resigning Furcal. Furcal is currently in the last year of his 3 year $39 million contract and will become a free agent at the end of the next season. I want to see Ned lock up Furcal to a 3 to 5 year extension before the season begins.

Now, I know that the Dodgers have many highly touted youngsters coming up in the farm who can play shortstop (most specifically Hu), but no matter how good they are, they can't bring the intangibles Furcal brings. First of all, Furcal is a fierce competitor. For example, he played hurt all of last year and never made an excuse about it. That's definitely the type of player and the type of example I want on the Dodgers. Hopefully, his fiery attitude towards playing baseball would influence the younger players on the team.

Secondly, he's the spark to the entire Dodgers offense. He has the ability to get on base and make things happen. Although Pierre can also lead off, he simply does not have the same abilities Furcal does in terms of igniting the offense. In addition, Furcal also have the power numbers to remain a threat in the RBI category. Thus, Furcal is a instant boost to the Dodgers lineup when he bats lead off.

Thirdly, he's in his prime and is one of the only veterans on the team. He's currently 30 years old and should be in prime condition to play for at least the next 6 years. With the young lineup that the Dodgers have, they need a legitimate veteran player in his prime. For that reason, the Dodgers need Furcal and the leadership attributes he brings.

Even with Furcal, the Dodgers can still play their Future All Star Games MVP Hu. Hu can switch positions to 2B and be the heir of Kents after this year. With Furcal, Hu, LaRoach and Loney, the Dodgers will have terrific infield defense in the future. For all these reasons, I feel that Ned needs to sign Furcal.