From Moon to Furcal: Dodgers December Deals That Shaped the Franchise
On December 4, 1958, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired former National League Rookie of the Year Wally Moon and Phil Paine from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Gino Cimoli.
Moon was coming off a down year with the Cardinals but earned an All-Star Game selection in 1957 after hitting a career-high 24 home runs. He bounced back in his first season with the Dodgers, batting .302/.394/.495 with 26 doubles, 11 triples, 19 home runs, 74 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 145 games.
Moon quickly earned the nickname “Moon Shots” for his 250-plus foot high fly balls to left field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum that cleared the 40-foot high screen for home runs.
Over parts of seven seasons with the Dodgers, Moon hit .286/.377/.435 with 99 doubles, 24 doubles, 64 home runs and 330 RBI across 755 games.
As for Paine, he never played in a Major League game during his second stint with the Dodgers. After spending the entire 1959 season in Triple-A, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles the following offseason.
Dodgers sign Rafael Frugal
Also on this day, the Dodgers addressed their void at shortstop by agreeing to terms with Rafael Furcal on a three-year, $39 million contract in 2005. The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs heavily pursued Furcal before he reached an agreement with L.A.
Furcal went on to play parts of six seasons with the Dodgers, batting .283/.351/.406 with 122 doubles, 27 doubles, 44 home runs, 228 RBI and 109 stolen bases in 617 games.
Furcal earned an All-Star Game selection in 2010 and accumulated 15.7 WAR during his time with the Dodgers. He was traded to the Cardinals at the deadline in 2011 and won a World Series title with the organization that year.
Furcal was selected to his final All-Star Game in 2012 before missing the entire 2013 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He returned to the Majors in 2014 with the Miami Marlins but only appeared in nine games and retired the following year.
