In some ways, Choo reminds me of Abreu - really good OBP, defense that is OK but not awesome, a bit of power but not a ton.

The difference is (was?) that Abreu hit same-sided pitchers well-enough - not great, but OK. Choo doesn't hit lefties at all. His OBP against them is OK, but I think Choo is a platoon guy right now.

If the Yanks hadn't signed Beltran or Choo, I would say Choo got away. But Beltran is wearing pinstripes, so I think it's OK.

I've always liked Choo and found him to be woefully underrated...BUUUUT, I'd rather have Beltran for 3 than Choo for 7. That's just me.

I thought of Abreu--and Swisher--too. 2) Interesting. I can dig that.

A big part of Choo's ability to get on base is getting hit by pitches. I wonder if that's a good fit with a 7 year deal.

I liked Choo better than any of the other OFs this year, but none of them is perfect and all of them can help the Yanks. Interestingly:

$Ellsbury + $Beltran = (approx) $Choo + $Granderson

So given the Yanks talked in depth with all of them, for better or worse, they probably got what they wanted and at the price they wanted.

For the first few years, but the last 2-3, no.

I'd rather make the investment in the farm system again.

He didn't want to play for a loser or in front of fans that don't like the game or know the game. He didn't want to do post game interviews with the shills. He didn't want to be on a team that A-Rod may be on at some time in the future or one that Jeter will lead for one more year. And have you guys looked at how good you can live outside NYC, especially when you don't pay taxes?

I always use Abreu as my go-to guy for value. A perennial 100 RBI guy, to me, is something hard to find. I know Choo is a top of the lineup guy, hitting in a less favorable lineups, so that accounts for that. But...

(2) I agree. I think Beltran on 3 will prove wiser than Choo on 7, due in part to Choo's value decreasing as time takes a bite out of his base-stealing power.