Day 6: Right Field

Today I'm bitter. I was supposed to broadcast a Jupiter Hammerheads and St. Lucie Mets double header tonight and no one thought to inform me that the weekend broadcasters "just felt like" coming to the part and broadcast tonight. Not that it was a 40 minute trip for me or that I wanted to eat dinner with my wife or anything.

Naturally, the next place to go with that bitterness is to the Indians' right field situation. Shin-Soo Choo is awesome, and one of the ten guys on the entire roster who are legitimate major league baseball players. It is a foregone conclusion that Choo will leave Cleveland, and honestly, I can't blame him at this point. He's got a chance for a nice pay day, which the Indians certainly won't give him, and an opportunity to go out and play for a contender, which also, the Indians won't give him. He is a position that seems to be in high demand both as an above-average defensive outfielder who can hit anywhere at the top of the lineup.

There isn't really much else to say about Choo. He had his little DUI episode last year and his play suffered from it, but until writing this article I had completely forgotten about that. He has a laser arm, can play either corner spot, was awesome as the lead off man, and now continues to contribute as the three hitter. We have absolutely nothing in the system that will replace him, so when the trade eventually comes, we better get some major-league-ready talent. Letting him walk after next year simply isn't an option.

There are a few places I could see Choo winding up: Chicago (NL), Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Texas, Los Angeles, and maybe even Philly or Atlanta. I really like some of the players that the Cubs, Pirates, and Rangers have at or near the top of their systems. Choo could very well put the Pirates over the top, and I want to know, would one year of success in a position they are currently thin at be worth it? The Buccos have run out of seemingly run out of steam, and I'm willing to guess there's a package deal available to get Sterling Marte, Andrew McCutcheon, and Choo into the same outfield. Plus, as a rival GM to the Reds in the NL Central, I'd give up a LOT to get Choo on my squad. His lifetime numbers against the Reds are phenomenal, which gives the Reds another incentive to sign him.

The fact of the matter is, if we make a deal getting rid of Choo, we have to find someone to replace him. That will not happen with this GM. In the best case scenario, the Tribe is able to take advantage of a team in a desperate situation for a leadoff man that can actually get on base and play the outfield very well. Maybe Josh Hamilton will walk and the Tribe can send him there for a Jurickson Profar/Jared Hoying deal?

Wishful thinking. Final verdict: Trade Choo Choo.