L.A. gets Furcal; Thomas out with Sox

DALLAS — Now the Los Angeles Dodgers have a healthy speedster at shortstop to go along with their new manager and GM.

Rafael Furcal finalized a $39 million, three-year contract with the Dodgers on Wednesday, leaving the Atlanta Braves and filling two important needs for Los Angeles: a proven leadoff hitter and a replacement for injured All-Star Cesar Izturis.

"I came to the Dodgers because they gave the better deal to me and I'm very excited to be here," Furcal said at baseball's winter meetings before pulling on his No. 15 Dodgers jersey. "They wanted me so bad to play for them."

Ned Colletti replaced Paul DePodesta as Los Angeles' GM on Nov. 16 and immediately began looking for a new manager to replace Jim Tracy. The search ended Tuesday when former Boston manager Grady Little was hired.

But Colletti also found time to jump in late on the Furcal chase, and the Dodgers beat out Atlanta and the Chicago Cubs for the 2000 NL Rookie of the Year. Furcal packs plenty of energy and even some power into his 5-foot-10, 165-pound frame. The switch hitter batted .284 last season with 12 homers, 58 RBIs, 100 runs and 46 stolen bases in 56 attempts. He also had 31 doubles and 11 triples.

Furcal finished third in the NL in steals this year with only 12 fewer than the Dodgers, who ranked 15th in the league in that category. He made just 15 errors and has one of the strongest throwing arms of any infielder in baseball.

"There are some components in this game that are very difficult to find. One of them is a leadoff man and another is a top-flight shortstop that has a plus glove," Colletti said.

A .284 career hitter with a .348 on-base percentage, Furcal scored 130 runs in 2003, when he made the NL All-Star team.

Izturis, an All-Star shortstop last season and a Gold Glove winner in 2004, is coming off reconstructive surgery on his throwing elbow and isn't expected to play until at least July. There's even speculation that he could miss the entire season.

"Who knows about anything in July? I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone July," Colletti said. "There could be a lot of twists and turns.

"He's been through a surgery and a rehab that there's not a lot of history to at that position. It was important to have a top-flight shortstop when the season began."

Izturis could shift to second base when he returns, with All-Star second baseman Jeff Kent moving to first.