In 2014, the Texas Rangers signed 31-year-old outfielder Shin-Soo Choo to a 7-year, $130 million contract. Choo was coming off a season with the Cincinnati Reds in which he posted a slash line of .285/.423/.462 with 21 home runs, 34 doubles and 112 walks. At the time, he was one of the better leadoff hitters in MLB.
Needless to say, it was a good year for Choo to be a free agent. The Rangers figured he’d be the perfect player to set the table for middle of the order bats like Adrian Beltre and Prince Fielder.