Astros Sign Matsui

The Houston Astros have signed second baseman Kaz Matsui to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million. Matsui hit .288/.342/.405 with the Colorado Rockies in 2007, and before that spent time with the New York Mets.

In his four-year career, the 32-year-old Matsui owns a .272/.325/.387 batting line. He also has never played more than 114 games in a season, so the question remains, why did the Astros feel compelled to lock him up to a long-term deal?

Pros:

Good defender
Great in postseason (too bad the Astros went 73-89 last year and don’t figure to improve by a lot)

Cons:

On the wrong side of 30
Not much of a hitter

If I were the Astros, I’d have given Chris Burke the job. I know, Burke can’t hit either, but at least he’s cheap.

Comments

By Geoff Young

Yeah, you would think. It’s a head-scratcher to me as well.

By Eric SanInocencio

Wouldn’t the Astros be better off just letting Chris Burke play every day? Can he not put up similar numbers to Matsui with about 1/4 the salary?

I mean he was a first round pick. I figured now that Biggio retired he’d finally get a full season. Guess not.