UPDATE (11:15 AM CST): The deal is official today, with Furcal waiving his 10-and-5 rights in order to approve the trade. The deal will send the 33-year-old Furcal to St. Louis in exchange for 24-year-old outfielder Alex Castellanos and roughly $2.5 million in cash. Castellanos, a 10th-round pick in 2008, got the call to Double-A this season and has thrived to the tune of a .319/.379/.562 line with 19 homers and 10 steals in 93 games. He started his career as an infielder, but has spent the past couple years primarily as a right fielder.
For now, Furcal will take over as the primary shortstop for the Cardinals, while Dee Gordon and Jamey Carroll will take over shortstop duties in LA.
(10:50 PM CST): After a day of a long day of rumors, it appears set that the St. Louis Cardinals have acquired shortstop Rafael Furcal and cash considerations from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for a minor league outfielder. According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the outfielder going to LA isn't currently on St. Louis' 40-man roster.
Furcal, 33, was arguably the biggest shortstop name on the trade market. Even though he's struggled a great deal this season while battling through some injuries, he played extremely well last season and was one of the few potential impact players on the market that could be reasonably acquired. The move allows the Cardinals to slide Ryan Theriot into a more appropriate role, either as the club's primary second baseman or as a utility infielder off the bench.
Although it's unclear who is going to the Dodgers, the money saved through the end of the season was likely enough to convince the Dodgers to pursue a deal. Furcal still has the remainder of his $12 million salary owed to him, and it's likely that the Cardinals are picking up a portion of the tab through this trade.