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Rumors: Texas Rangers looking at Shin-Soo Choo

Jon Heyman says the Rangers are interested in free agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo

USA TODAY Sports

In the latest Texas Rangers free agent rumors, Shin-Soo Choo is someone the team is looking into making a run at, per Jon Heyman.  Heyman goes on to say that the Rangers have "ruled out" free agent Jacoby Ellsbury, and even on Choo, "a Rangers connected person suggested they aren't likely to secure him if "rumored prices" are accurate."

Which means that Rangers like Choo -- not surprising, given that they want a COF/1B/DH type or two that have some power and get on base -- but they don't want to pay what Choo is asking for.  Given that the Rangers have generally been conservative in the free agent market, this shouldn't surprise us.

Choo is an intriguing free agent case...he's 31 and had his best offensive season of his career last year, after two sub-par years, and he's a high on-base guy, which the Rangers need.  But he's got some issues defensively, and doesn't have a ton of power, which makes you have some concerns about how he will age.  Jim Bowden predicts Choo will end up at 5 years, $85M, and at that price, I bet the Rangers would bite.  But if Choo is going to get something similar to what Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford commanded in recent years, Texas is most likely going to pass.

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