Shin-Soo Choo is one of the most sought-after baseball prospects in years, and apparently it will cost more than $20 million a year to sign him.
The South Korean star turned down a seven-year, $140 million contract from the New York Yankees. Sources close to the organization say Choo’s superagent Scott Boras rejected the offer in favor of “Jacoby Ellsbury” money (Ellsbury signed for seven years and $153 million).
The Yankees pulled the offer, opting instead to sign slugger Carlos Beltran to a three-year, $45 million deal .
The free agency gamble may have left Shin-Soo Choo with limited options . The Texas Ranges had been interested, but reportedly moved on to Japanese starter Masahiro Tanaka.
Yahoo! Sports writer Jeff Pasan noted that the Houston Astros have shown interest as well, but it’s unclear what they could give up for him:
“The size of Houston’s ante is unclear. The Astros do not like the idea of giving up a draft pick, especially in a year in which another Boras client, Carlos Rodon, is almost a lock to go No. 1 overall and likely to command an excessive portion of Houston’s signing bonus pool.”
But, it would still be a stretch for the Astros to commit to the kind of money Shin-Soo Choo is asking for. At one point last season, the entire Astros roster had a smaller salary than Choo and Scott Boras want.
Shin-Soo Choo suited up for the Cincinnati Reds last season, hitting.285 with a.423 on-base percentage and an OPS of.885. He got his start in 2005 with the Seattle Mariners, and for his career has 900 hits, 104 home runs and 427 RBIs.
