Raffy traded to the Cardinals

Rafael Furcal's six-year stint with the Dodgers came to an end on Sunday, as the Cardinals have acquired the veteran shortstop at the trade deadline. In exchange, the Dodgers receive minor league outfielder Alex Castellanos, and the Cardinals will receive some money to help offset the $12 million Furcal is making this year.

Furcal has certainly had an up-and-down six years with the Dodgers, and it pretty much has everything to do with his health. When healthy, he was an All-Star caliber shortstop, earning the honor in 2010. In '06, he played 159 games and hit .300 with 15 homers, 63 RBIs, and 37 steals. His numbers dipped down in '07 to .270/6/47/25, and missed a big part of the '08 season with a back injury, though he did come back for the playoffs (and committed three errors in one inning against the Phillies).

While Raffy did play in 150 games in '09, his numbers were still mediocre, and he only stole 12 bases. Last year he made the All-Star team, but only played in 97 games, which was a shame since he his .300 with 22 steals. This year has been awful, appearing in only 37 games with a .197 average and 5 steals.

For the Cardinals, it's worth making a move since Raffy has played in all of July, and can be such a sparkplug if he figures things out. Plus, they're only 1 1/2 games in back of the Brewers in the NL Central, so they're right within striking distance.

As for Castellanos, he has been spending time with Double-A Springfield this year. In 93 games, he has great numbers: .319, 19 homers, 65 RBIs. So, it looks like the Dodgers got a nice prospect out of this, which is pretty much all they can ask at this point as this lost season plays itself out.

I enjoyed watching Raffy play these last few years, as few leadoff hitters are as exciting as him when he's healthy. Unfortunately, the combination of age and dwindling numbers meant it was time to make a move, so I applaud Ned Colletti for pulling the trigger. Plus, Dee Gordon will rightfully make his way back up and get the playing time he needs and deserves. It's a win-win for all sides.