Sources: Rafael Furcal Picks Dodgers over Braves

Rafael Furcal has finally made up his mind. He's going back to Hollywood.

Furcal, the top free-agent shortstop on the open market this year, has decided to sign with the Dodgers, major-league sources said.

On Monday night, the Braves were under the distinct impression that they had a deal with Furcal. On Tuesday, the Dodgers re-entered the discussions, and by Wednesday afternoon the Dodgers and Furcal were hammering out the terms of an agreement, sources said.

The Braves on Wednesday were informed that Furcal would not accept their deal.

"When people deal with you in this manner, they lose credibility," Braves GM Frank Wren said. "You don't forget these things."

According to Wren, this is how the situation played out:

• Wren reached agreement on the terms of a contract with Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, on Monday night, pending the approval of Furcal.
• Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET Monday night, Wren spoke with Kinzer three or four times, negotiating the dollar amount, the years and terms of the vesting option, and other contractual details.
• Wren and Kinzer spoke again around midnight Monday night. Kinzer told Wren that he had not yet heard back from Furcal, but that Furcal was excited and that "we're good."
• On Tuesday morning, Wren woke up to a voicemail from Kinzer telling him to put a term sheet (the standard baseball term for an official contract offer) together.
• Wren went into his office in Atlanta, put the term sheet together and signed it.
• Shortly thereafter, Kinzer began "backpedaling," saying he promised the Dodgers he would talk to them.

Atlanta, according to sources, offered Furcal a three-year deal worth approximately $30 million, and included a vesting option for a fourth year that would have pushed the potential value of the deal to approximately $40 million.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, had been reluctant to re-sign Furcal long-term due to medical concerns. On Tuesday, however, they suddenly showed interest in extending their offer beyond two guaranteed years.

Furcal's reasons for choosing the Dodgers over the Braves are unclear. But he will remain at shortstop with the Dodgers; the Braves, depending upon the outcome of other moves, might have moved him to second base.

The A's are believed to have made the high offer for Furcal—four years guaranteed in the $40 million range, according to major-league sources.

Furcal, 31, left the Braves for the Dodgers after the 2005 season, signing a three-year, $39 million free-agent contract.

For the Braves, the loss of Furcal represents their third major setback of the offseason.

The first came when they failed to reach a trade agreement for Padres right-hander Jake Peavy after weeks of negotiations.

The second occurred when they were outbid for free-agent right-hander A.J. Burnett, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Yankees.

Furcal was less important to the Braves than either of those starting pitchers, but his addition would have created opportunities for the team to trade shortstop Yunel Escobar or second baseman Kelly Johnson for either outfield help or pitching.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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