Should Astros go after Shin-Soo Choo?

After missing out on Cuban defector Jose Abreu, it appears as though the Astros are still interested in adding a bat to their less than potent offense. Well, at least according to CBS Sports’ John Heyman.

Heyman credits anonymous sources as saying the Astros “may consider” Free Agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.

“May consider.” That sounds like reason enough for a 1,000 word article.

I’ve never been a big fan of Heyman but I’m going to go ahead and play along this time. Do I think the Astros would be wise to sign Shin-Soo Choo? In a word… no.

Choo is a nice player. He has several attributes that would be great to have in the Astros lineup. But, given the lack of quality bats available on the market this offseason, the price for Choo will be way too high.

In addition to a price tag that will likely exceed $100 million, the Astros would also have to forfeit a draft pick in order to sign Choo. That is a combination that simply doesn’t fit the plan. Not yet, anyway.

If the Astros were ready to contend for a playoff spot, going after Choo would make perfect sense. But they aren’t. So I don’t think Jim Crane and Jeff Luhnow would waste their time on such an effort.

Sorry, John Heyman. I have to think your “sources” on this story may in fact be an overactive imagination.

Shin-Soo Choo (Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports)