Pujols Who?

Cardinals have re-signed shortstop Rafael Furcal a key piece to them winning the 2011 World Series. Pujols may have left, but the Cardinals are not doomed without him. In all likelihood Lance Berkman will move to 1^st base and Allen Craig will take Berkman’s spot in Right. Craig is no Pujols but he is a solid up and coming player. The signing of Furcal though, gives them back their leadoff hitter who has speed and the ability to get on base like you look for in any leadoff hitter, but he also has quite a good glove and arm in the field. He really was the most under the radar move during the season last year as he was a waiver wire transaction from the Dodgers that boosted the Cardinals defense and offense. Furcal always brings a high level of competition to the field with seemingly unlimited energy. The only worry with Furcal is he’s had some back injuries. If he stays healthy he still has some baseball left in him and could help the Cardinals take the NL Central this year with it getting weaker by the moment. The Astros and Cubs don’t seem to be a threat at the moment, The Pirates showed some progress by putting together a good 1^st half last year but then returned to the “Pirates” way of ball for the 2^nd half, and the Reds seem to be firmly behind the Cardinals in my mind. Now the Brewers are the question, but with the probable loss of Fielder, and the fact that they didn’t get a big name free agent seems to hinder their team greatly, along with the pending 50 game suspension of Ryan Braun. The Brewers still have an alright team, but unless they make some moves I think that the Cardinals are the front runners to win the division. Furcal for 2 years and $14 million is a great deal. By the end of next season the St. Louis fans could be saying Pujols who?