Another major piece in MLB free agency fell Saturday as the Texas Rangers signed outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to a 7-year, $130 million dollar contract according to CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman.
Choo, who was always thought to be a top target this offseason for Texas replaces Nelson Cruz in the outfield with a .423 OBP last season with the Reds. Choo will also more than likely have a better chance at scoring more runs in 2014 with Prince Fielder hitting behind him.
Ultimately the $130 million dollar price tag for Choo means that another Scott Boras client got paid this offseason. And perhaps rightly so considering the .285/.423/.462 slash line he posted last season with Cincinnati plus what he’s able to do against right handed pitching. But there’s also the rumor of a $140 million dollar deal offered up by the Yankees which apparently Choo turned down. Interesting.
Either way the Rangers are going to be major players once again in the AL West and throughout Major League Baseball as they’ve gone all in for a World Series. However you have to wonder when and if this (the Choo deal) and the Prince Fielder deal (which still has roughly $160 million left on it) will come back to haunt them.
