Braves gave Furcal a signed offer sheet
Atlanta Braves general manager Frank Wren had one telephone conversation with Rafael Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, on Wednesday, but sources said it was short “and not terribly productive.” The Braves believe Furcal is on his way to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“It looks like he's going the other direction,” a club source said. “And that's frustrating.”
Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said at 2:45 p.m. PT that he was still having conversations with Furcal's agents, and a couple hours later the Associate Press reported Furcal had agreed to a three-year deal worth $33 million.
The Braves agreed to three years before the Dodgers. On Monday night, according to the source, Kinzer asked Wren to fax him a signed term sheet containing the Braves' offer – three years, $30 million with a fourth-year vesting option. Wren complied on Tuesday morning.
The Braves then believed they had a deal. No member of the Braves' front office – not Wren, not longtime former GM John Schuerholz – could recall a time when a signed term sheet was not the equivalent of a handshake agreement, ethically – if not legally – binding.
Instead, the Braves believe, Kinzer shopped the term sheet to the Dodgers. That said, the Braves' offer to Furcal stands.
