- May 30, 2006
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Choo is an idiot if that's true.
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Free agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo has not yet found a fit for 2014, and part of the problem has been the loss of a draft pick that comes with signing him. Another stumbling block to a deal has been his contract demands, as it's believed that Choo is looking for an eight-year deal.
Now here comes another fly in the ointment. Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that Rusney Castillo, "a 26-year-old center fielder who had been one of the top players in Cuba", has defected in an effort to eventually find a job with a team in the United States.
There are still several steps for Castillo to take before teams can start the bidding for his services, as he first must establish residency in another country, and then be cleared to play by the United States government. That process could presumably be completed before the start of the 2014 season, but perhaps not until spring training games have already gotten under way.
So what does this have to do with Choo? Well, teams that were pondering a Choo signing might now be tempted to wait for Castillo to save money and a draft pick, not to mention they would avoid committing long-term to a player who will turn 31 in July. At the very least, there's now an "alternative" to Choo, which may force the outfielder to lower his asking price significantly.
Castillo might not have anything close to Choo's upside, especially in the short term, but he profiles as a pretty good player. Here's how Badler describes Castillo's skill set: "Castillo is short but has a strong, athletic frame at 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds. His best tool is his speed, as he's an above-average runner and one of the better base stealers in Cuba. More of a doubles hitter than a big home run threat, Castillo puts a charge into the ball with a line-drive right-handed swing.
"Primarily a center fielder in Cuba, Castillo has also played some second and third base, so his versatility could be a draw for some teams. He’s an aggressive, high-energy player, though some teams view him as a fourth outfielder."
Shin Soo Choo turned down an offer of 7 years $140 million from the Yankees
Jeff Passan just tweeted it, and he says the contract was offered after Ellsbury
"Superagent Scott Boras does some of his finest work in the latter stages of free agency. And in the case of Shin-Soo Choo, he faces yet another challenge in a career built on slaying them: find Choo a contract for the $140 million the New York Yankees offered him even after they signed Jacoby Ellsbury.
In the aftermath of Robinson Cano's defection to Seattle, New York presented Choo a seven-year, $140 million deal, three sources outside the Yankees' organization told Yahoo Sports. When Boras countered asking for more money – one source indicated he wanted "Ellsbury money," or $153 million over seven years – the Yankees pulled the offer and signed Carlos Beltran to a three-year, $45 million deal."
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/10-deg...iddle-of-the-free-agent-market-165809610.html
Jenny Dell @JennyDellNESN 1m
OFFICIAL: #RedSox acquired INF Jonathan Herrera from Colorado in exchange for LHP Franklin Morales and minor league RHP Chris Martin.
Hopefully the rumblings for Billy Butler are coming to fruition. I still believe in Ackley..slowly but surely he's coming around.@Ken_Rosenthal: #Mariners drawing strong trade interest in IF Nick Franklin with multiple teams involved, sources tell me and @jonmorosi.
Golden State Warriors owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber interested in buying the A's and building a waterfront stadium in Oakland.
He has that kind of value around the league? If he's the only name being thrown around I'd like to see the type of return they'd get.
You can do a lot better than Butler for Franklin. Gotta aim really high to move him got a lot of 1B already.
Apparently, the Rakuten Golden Eagles are not going to let Masahiro Tanaka go to the United State without a fight. The team appears prepared to make the pitcher an offer he can't refuse in order to get him to agree to pitch one more season in Japan.
According to multiple reports, Rakuten is going to offer him at least an $8 million salary for 2014, if not more, which would make him the highest-paid Japanese pitcher in history. Last season, Tanaka's contract was for only $4 million.