| Douglas Benton. 13th December, 2007 - 12:03 am
 The Chicago Cubs have acquired left-handed hitting outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to a four-year deal worth $48 million. He is expected to play right-field and fill the void created by the losses of Cliff Floyd and Jacque Jones.
In his nine year career, Fukudome has hit .305 with 192 home runs. He will be a power threat for the Cubs but will also be able to hit for average and use his speed, a la Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners. As there always is with international players coming to the United States, there will be an adjustment period, which could result in a somewhat slow start.
In my mind, Fukudome will be between .290 and .300, hit about 25 home runs and drive in 90 or so runs, depending on his placement in the batting order. He will also improve the Cubs' outfield defense, although he won't jump into the Gold Glove discussion immediatley next year.
Fukudome will help the Cubs next year and beyond, but it is still a steep price to pay. It is the same annual contract price given to Aaron Rowland by the Giants but for one fewer year; however, saying Fukudome is as good as Rowland right now is an overstatement.
Grade: B-
How would you rate these deals? Email your grades to Douglas.Benton@realgm.com |
