Those sessions signal that the Cubs, Braves and Dodgers are the three teams left in what was once a furious scramble to sign the best free-agent shortstop on the market.
The article goes on to say that the Braves might ask Furcal for a "hometown discount".
I seriously doubt that the Dodgers are a real player in this scenario -- they may be doing this because Frank McCourt wants to make a MSM splash.
Hey, this next line is for that rumor site:
I think Furcal will sign with the Cubs before the week is out.
UPDATE [2005-11-29 16:12:20 by Al]:
The free-agent market has officially gone off the deep end.
The Blue Jays are apparently about to offer Brian Giles -- you sitting down? -- a 5-year, $55 million deal. That is just nuts.
UPDATE [2005-11-29 19:58:27 by Al]:
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes in tomorrow's editions that:
A source familiar with negotiations said Furcal received a five-year offer from the Cubs that was significantly greater than he was offered by the Braves, both in dollars and contract length.