Shin-Soo Choo

[malcontent]

Hopefully we can at least stay above the pirates during this time.

Not sure about the Pirates, but I'm confident they can fend off the Cubs for 4th. At least until Bryant and company arrive in 2016.

[tomnuetten]

I do think the Pirates and Cubs are worse than the reds.. I still think that they can get the 2nd place (with luck and a great 2nd half)

[NC-Red]

he's not looking so amazing anymore. Gotta say it was a great idea in retrospect to let him walk. Billy has shown he's an elite talent

[jordan_tm]

he's not looking so amazing anymore. Gotta say it was a great idea in retrospect to let him walk. Billy has shown he's an elite talent

Especially when you consider the difference in money. Consider these 2014 stats for Choo: .248 avg, 3-6 SB attempts.

For all intents and purposes, Hamilton is having a much better year than Choo at a FRACTION of the cost.

[RedlegJake]

To be fair to Choo his drop off occurred when he hurt his ankle. The guy can still hit. However he is at an age where little nagging injuries start to become bigger issues, his defense in CF was, at best, adequate (being generous here) and he was going to command, and did, a huge salary and several years. Hamilton improved team speed, added defense and has hit better than most expected. I know that I was wrong about Billy. When he started out cold I felt I had been right and that he needed a full season yet in AAA. Then it just seemed to click for him after only a dozen games or so. I have never felt better about being so wrong...

[jordan_tm]

I knew that there was no way we could resign Choo but I also did not believe Hamilton was ready for his role yet. He's been a pleasant surprise and should only get better with more MLB service time.

[Redeyecat]

I was defintely among those who expected a huge dropoff from Choo to Hamilton and that was even with the expectation that Billy would immediately be better on defense. But so far things have worked out better (especially considering the money) than the Reds reasonably could have hoped for. I don't wish any ill will to Choo, but I hope it continues.

[JMO]

Letting Choo walk was a GREAT MOVE. Same with Arroyo. We saved a ton of money by replacing these 2 with Hamilton and Simon. I just wish Walt would have waited another year before extending Votto. The Bailey deal was not very good either. No more Ludwick, Hannahan, Parra, Schumaker type contracts.

[WaiteHoyt]

JMO,

what kind of contracts do you believe are appropriate in these days of TV money? I am old enough that I remember when Pete Rose wanted to be the first singles hitter to get $100,000 a year. I do have some difficulty understanding how baseball players seem to arrive out of shape and have early season injuries. That doesn't seem to be as prevalent in professional basketball (perhaps sample size) or even football prior to contact.

[RedsFan_26]

.254 and .778 ops? hardly amazing..

[scotly50]

It is not the same money.

$100 million does not = $135 million.

You also have to take into account Choo signed in Texas, a state with no income tax. It has been documented that if Choo had signed in a different city like NY or Cin the contract would have been closer to $150 million.

Last time I checked, a $50 million difference is a pretty big difference.

I am sure you do not understand the economics of a professional player. They are not taxed by one state, but by all the states, and cities they play. They're taxes are a nightmare.

[R_Webb18]

So he can't hit RHP now?

[Beltway]

Wow, he has really tailed off. He's basically been a .200 hitter since May. Is he playing hurt or something?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pl...2014&t=b#month

[Big Red Smokey]

The whole Rangers team is a dumpster fire right now

[RedFanT]

Completely agree. The reds simply could not afford to give him a massive long contract. Too much risk in those later years.

Considering the issues Choo is having this year (to date, .238, .344, .362, .706), 32 years old, making over $20 mill. a year until 2020 (with Scot Boras as his agent). It was a necessity for the Reds not to re-sign him. Way better off.