Hee-Seop Choi

The Red Sox claimed first baseman Hee-Seop Choi off waivers from the Dodgers on Friday. Two quotes from Boston GM Theo Epstein explain all you need to know about this move.

"We have liked Choi for a long time and view this as an opportunity to acquire him when his value is down a bit," Boston general manager Theo Epstein said. "We like his power, his patience and his hands at first base. Choi provides depth for us at first base and in a way third base as well, considering Kevin Youkilis' ability to play both positions."

"We'll see how our roster shakes out, but Choi does have minor league options if we want him to get every day at-bats in Triple-A for a period of time," Epstein said.

Excellent move by the Sox. It doesn't cost them much as they only have to pay Choi the MLB minimum with the Dodgers picking up the rest of Choi's $725,000 salary and it gives the Red Sox lots of flexibility.

Financially - as much as this was a good move for the Red Sox - it was a dumb move by the Dodgers who knew they probably wouldn't be able to use Choi this year but offered him arbitration anyway. The Dodgers have a logjam at first with Nomar Garciapparra as the starter and stud prospect James Loney starting at AAA Las Vegas. The Red Sox can start Choi at AAA Pawtucket (he has one option left I beleive) and bring him up in case of injury or in case Mike Lowell isn't in a slump but instead is toast as a MLB player (Youkilis would move to 3rd and Choi and JT Snow would split 1st).

It is not inconcievable that Choi could play the entire season at Pawtucket and come up with Boston next year to split time with Youkilis at 1st. They would make a good lefty/righty platoon. It should also be noted that JT Snow has just a one-year $2 million deal and that Choi would be under Red Sox control for a couple more years most likely at a lot less than $2 million per year.

Choi came to the Dodgers as part of a mid-season blockbuster trade in 2004 that sent Brad Penny, Hee Seop Choi and minor leaguer Bill Murphy from the Marlins to the Dodgers and Paul Lo Duca, Juan Encarnacion and Guillermo Mota to the Marlins from the Dodgers. Of the six players involved in the trade - now that the Dodgers have released Choi - only Brad Penny is still with the team he was traded to.

This was a bad move by the Dodgers and a move that Paul DePodesta never would have made. That needs to be said.

EDIT: I think I was wrong about the Dodgers having to pay part of Choi's salary. If he went unclaimed after being waived - then they would have had to pay. Since the Red Sox claimed him - they are responsible for his entire 2006 salary. This also helps explain why Choi fell all the way to the Red Sox (all NL teams and all AL teams with a worse 2005 record had dibs over the Sox). I guess the other teams either didn't see the snazziness of Choi or were to cheap to pay the $725,000.