As of yesterday, it appears that the Mariners, Diamondbacks and Reds are all out of the market for Shin-Soo Choo. Here's the latest on the top remaining free agent position player…
- One veteran general manager told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that he thinks the Astros will ultimately be Choo's landing spot (Twitter link).
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Rangers appear comfortable going to five years for Choo, but agent Scott Boras wants a seven-year deal. Morosi wonders if they can meet in the middle.
That would be a terrible place for Choo to go…Please stay with the Reds!
Yes. Choo stay with Reds on a stupid overpay of a contract while further putting Reds behind the Cards in payroll flexibility and with middling farm system to back it up. All the while Reds fans still dont show up to support the team and then complain that the owner is cheap.
I have the Astros as the landing place for Choo in my predictions. I have not done very well thus far.
IF the Astros were to land Choo, I’d have a lot more respect for their ownership as they made it clear that they want to improve the team. Hopefully they can as the AL West could be one of the more competitive divisions over the next few seasons.
They are building the right way though. I am a Rangers fan so I do keep up with them and just as the Rangers did, they sold off all of their valuable players and started at zero. The team improves and their farm system is one of the better now. I have always said that they will be ready to truly compete in 2015 and be a force not too far after that if a good portion of these prospects hit. The fans there have been patient as they do know that Crane will spend money when the time is right. I am not sure if being saddled with Choo’s contract demands is the right move. I think he will be on the down side as the team is truly a competitive team.
Choo really wanted to experience the playoffs and go for a world series title. Can’t see him signing with the Astros who are at least three years away.
unless he is offered a 7 year 140mill contract lol
Or a 7 year $168MM contract. Remember, he is revered.
yeah revered for the next 3 years. Then he slows, his platoon splits comes into play, and youre still paying him 15-20 mill a year
That’s usually how Boras does his work. I.e. Rodriguez, Teixiera, soon to be Ellsbury, and the list goes on.
Well all i can do is hope JD doesnt get sucked into a 7year deal for him.
As an Astros fan, I hope JD does get sucked into a 7 year deal for Choo. Or Jack Z. Or DiPoto.
A-Rod isn’t a good example, Boras didn’t help negotiate that contract. Steinbrenner did that.
Hes good… But not hall of fame good
He is real good for a young team though
I couldn’t see the Rays going from last to 1st either, but they did…….this Astros team is closer than people think. I not say WS this year, but in a couple of years……they can be real good
Not even close to worth it.
“worth” based on? The team has lots of money, a protected #1 overall pick, and needs to show that it’s willing to start winning some games. How do you define “worth”?
A very hyped FA going to the Astros after all the speculation will disgust me.
Thank goodness Jon Daniels hasn’t blinked yet. Once you hear the Astros name getting tossed around, you know the price must be falling.
you know the sky must be falling, you mean.
Right? I doubt the astros throw big money at anyone right now.
If that’s the case, we will be hearing Cubs soon too.
I would guess he falls down closer to 6/100 and then might work up a little from there
Cubs are not in the same place the Astros with such a low payroll
True, but they do have a much lower payroll than usual. With the exception of part of Soriano’s deal still on the books, they have very little money tied up for a big market team. As soon as the stadium/tv deal are worked out, they will start spending again.
as much as they say it i feel like he will end up in seattle still
Mariners still have the budget room.
Not sure why the media thinks the M’s are out of it, they signed two guys that CAN play the OF, but SHOULD be playing 1B or DH. M’s still need outfield help.
They might be going after Cruz.
Agreed…I think it could go 1 of 2 ways.
1) the M’s are trying to ship Smoak–and will probably package him with at least a Franklin or a Miller, Montero, and/or Ackley for a pitcher. If they can pull that off…then they would be in play for Choo.
2) They can’t trade Smoak et al for anything of substance that would be worth it…I think Ackley stays in CF and the M’s use their money on a FA pitcher…hopefully Jimenez or Tanaka. And, that will unfortunately mean Hart and Morrison will have to spend some time in the OF.
As much as I love the Hart signing…he should be at 1b or DH, not in the OF. I think the interesting wild card here is Morales…people have written his return off too…but, he has no suitors other than maybe the Astros. So if the M’s are able to bring him back…on let’s say a reasonable 3 year deal–I think you definitely put him at DH. And, you could put Hart at LF…with Saunders and Ackley. I just hate putting Hart out there. Huge liability. And, Morrison could split time with Smoak at 1b and in the OF. I just hope Smoak doesn’t turn out to be a dump move…you just never know with him. I wouldn’t mind bringing back Guiti on the cheap for 1 incentive season (similar to the Hart deal…but, less $)–if Smoak is traded, and keep Guiti in RF. I guess the bottom line is…there are so many options this team can go right now–we shouldn’t be writing anything off.
Boras took a new approach. Instead of having a “Mystery” team, he leaked a hoax that the Astros wanted to pay big dollars for the “revered” Choo.
Signing Choo at this point improves the Astros from awful to mediocre at best. They should wait to make big deals when they’ve spent another 1-2 years building the farm system and cultivating internal talent. Only when you have young foundation players should you be adding expensive vets. I think they’re jumping the gun. This is from somebody who actually went to some Astro games this past season. They aren’t just a player or two from contending.
Why? They’re not trading for anyone and have a protected #1 overall pick. If they can sign an FA with all that room they have in the budget, why not?
I could see Marlins being a surprise destination for Choo they just traded a decent OF in Ruggiano and if give him a 7 or 8 year deal in the $156-170 million deal Miami would have a great “catch”
I can’t see them making that sort of commitment.
Roger that. I’d be stunned.
I’d be stunned by him accepting seeing as that he’s going to ask for a no-trade clause.
& we all know how everyone’s favorite art dealer feels about those…
I would really like The Mariners to get this done. Commitment to winning does not mean only signing Corey Hart and trading for LoMo as follow ups to Cano.
If The M’s vision is to go for it, then they perhaps need some guys to get on base in front of Cano, Hart, Seager, etc.
I know they are LHB heavy and need RHBs like Cruz, but Nellie’s numbers just don’t add up to success at Safeco. Choo, as a high OBP guy is a logical option that the fans seem to be clamoring for. Conservatively, it seems as if they have about $15-20MM remaining in the pot before going over last year’s budget allocation (as estimated & reported by Ryan Divish). Again, if the front office’s new found balls are supposed to be an indicator of commitment, they might want to spend more than last year’s budget. Just my opinion.
He will resign with the reds
I think that’s his best fit but I wonder if they have the dinero in their budget considering what this contract will likely end up being for. Shedding Brandon Phillips would probably go a long way towards making this a distinct possibility.
I liked that just because you said “dinero”. I’m not sure why.
Seems like a weird fit. I’m guessing the Astros won’t be spending much over the next few years, so why empty the bank for Choo now, when you likely won’t be competing right away? They just traded for Fowler, they have Springer coming up this season presumably, and Domingo Santana is a promising outfielder in AA. They could probably use that $20M per year a lot better.
It’s a hoax.