Whither Moneyball?

Remember when Moneyball came out and the (oft-mistaken) premise was how Billy Beane and the A's were succeeding by valuing things that other teams undervalued or misunderstood? Part of that was due to necessity (smaller market, less financial resources) and the other part was being smart and opportunistic.

Well, first they trade FOR a highly-paid outfielder (Holliday) and now they are reportedly offering Rafael Furcal a four-year deal deal worth $48 million plus $2 million in additional incentives.

Furcal revealed that he has been offered a four-year, $48-million contract by the A’s that includes incentives that could push its value to more than $50 million.
......
Due to concerns about the condition of Furcal’s surgically repaired back, the Dodgers have been hesitant to extend him an offer of four years.

I like Furcal a bunch, but the bad back that sidelined him most of last year would be a huge red flag for me (he'll be 31 at Opening Day). If I had the reigns of a small/mid-market team, I might not be as aggressive. But kudos to Beane for "going for it", I guess. Color me skeptical.

UPDATE: From MLBTradeRumors.com:

3:58pm: ESPN's Enrique Rojas says Furcal traveled to the West Coast today, where he could sign with the Giants or A's. However, a third team remains involved.

1:36pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown talked to Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer. Kinzer called the El Caribe report "bogus." Apparently there has been no four-year, $48MM offer from Oakland nor are the Mets interested. And Furcal doesn't want to move to second base anyway.