With the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim set to unveil Albert Pujols at a press conference, the St. Louis Cardinals need to move on. Their first order of business is locking up their shortstop.
According to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com, the Cardinals are "finishing up" a two-year contract with Rafael Furcal that will likely come in around $14 million. Furcal hit .255/.316/.418 with seven HR's in 215 PA's with the Cardinals last season after coming over from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With a slim shortstop market, the Cardinals needed to bring back Furcal. Jimmy Rollins is most likely to return to the Philadelphia Phillies and I don't think the Cardinals were going to give up what it would take to land Hanley Ramirez, plus I think they are smart enough to realize that Ramirez isn't a shortstop anymore.Look for the Cardinals to continue to make moves like this in order to overcome the loss of Pujols. I could see them next signing Carlos Beltran and moving Lance Berkman to first base.
You can follow Adam on Twitter @ baseballindex