"Hiroki Kuroda essentially had a reprieve from baseball purgatory. The Dodgers wanted to trade him to a contending team, perhaps the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox.

By waiving the no-trade clause in his contract, Kuroda could have pitch in packed ballparks instead of an empty one. He could have pitched again in October, maybe even won a World Series.

He declined that opportunity, informing the Dodgers on Saturday that he would veto any trade.

"It's his decision," Rafael Furcal said. "Everybody has their own decision."

Furcal has a similar decision to make, only he is expected to approve a deal that would send him to the St. Louis Cardinals before the non-waiver trade deadline at 1 p.m. PDT on Sunday.

The Dodgers' primary shortstop for the last six seasons, the injury-prone Furcal was playfully evasive when asked about the potential move. He wouldn't even acknowledge that the Dodgers or his agent had informed him of the deal in place.

But when pressed, Furcal said, "It's my decision. I can think about it."

Furcal has no-trade rights because he is a 10/5 player, a player with more than a decade of major league service, including at least the last five with the same team. He has 24 hours from the time he or his agent were told of the deal to decide whether to accept it.

Furcal was held out of the Dodgers lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday while his replacement, top prospect Dee Gordon, was on his way to Los Angeles from triple A. Gordon hit .232 and stole nine bases in 22 games this season in his first major league call-up.

Dealing Furcal would not only create an opening for the swift-footed Gordon, it would also presumably allow the Dodgers to unload a portion of the $4 million Furcal is owed for the remainder of the season. Unless the Cardinals take the unexpected step of exercising his $12-million option for next season, Furcal will be a free agent this winter."