Will the Arizona Diamondbacks attempt to woo Shin-Soo Choo?
Oct 22, 2013, 10:07 PM | Updated: Oct 23, 2013, 4:53 am
Could the Arizona Diamondbacks be planning on making a run at one of the premier free agents this offseason?
Arizona Sports 620’s John Gambadoro thinks they might.
Free Agent and leadoff specialist Shin-Soo Choo could be a target of Diamondbacks. Hit .285 with on base% of .423.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo620) October 22, 2013
Choo, a 31-year-old right fielder, would be an interesting addition for the D-backs, for a variety of reasons.
First, they would be adding one of baseball’s better leadoff hitters. Choo is a career .288 hitter with a .389 on-base percentage, who has topped the 15-home run mark and stolen more than 20 bases in four of the last five years.
The D-backs were hoping Adam Eaton would develop into their leadoff hitter of the present and future last season, but injuries limited him to just 66 games, where he hit .252 with an OBP of .314 with just five stolen bases.
But it is Eaton — along with Gerardo Parra, A.J. Pollock, Cody Ross and Martin Prado — that would make the acquisition of Choo a dicey one. After all, there are only three outfield spots, and while Ross is currently injured and Prado can play in the infield, there are not exactly any openings for Choo to step right into and fill.
Should the D-backs elect to spend the money required to sign Choo, who earned $7.375 million in his lone season with the Cincinnati Reds this year and is primed for a substantial raise, they’ll be doing so at the expense of at least one of their current players.
Of course, with the World Series having not yet begun, any talk of free agents and possible destinations is a bit premature. And at any rate, the D-backs would certainly not be alone in their pursuit of the right fielder, meaning their attempt to woo Choo could be a long and drawn out process.
