Texas Rangers trade feature: Is Shin-Soo Choo gone by July 31st?

What would Shin-Soo Choo bring back to Texas?

As I mentioned earlier, the Texas Rangers will have to determine whether dealing Choo is more about acquiring young talent or alleviating a financial burden. They won’t achieve both, no matter how well Choo is playing.

Pursuing prospects seems like the obvious choice given the fact that the Rangers are entering a rebuild. Is it obvious, though?

Remember, the organization intends for the team to contend by the time they move into their new stadium in 2020. Opening up $21 million on the payroll could help Texas land a big time free agent for the 2020 season. Allocating that money to a notable free agent would be much better than paying it to a 37-year-old Shin-Soo Choo.

The Indians, Diamondbacks and Mariners offer more in the money department than the prospect department anyway. None of those team rank in the top half of MLB in payroll in 2018, but they all rank in the bottom half in farm talent.

Choo has been one of the best players in baseball over the last two months. With that said, his age and his contract are working against him. He won’t warrant the kind of return that his numbers would imply, but he’s definitely worth a couple of decent prospects. Either that or a cut-down salary burden for the Texas Rangers.

Next: Should the Rangers pursue Clayton Kershaw?

Keep a look out for a package deal with Cleveland. Choo and Keone Kela would be tough to deny as a combo. Or, watch for Choo going to Arizona over the next two and a half weeks.