The Houston Chronicle is reporting that the Astros have come to terms with free agent left fielder Carlos Lee. The deal is reportedly worth six years for around $90 million.
Lee, a career .286 hitter, finished with a .300 batting average, 37 home runs and 116 RBIs over 161 games between the Brewers and Rangers.
Lee will provide plenty of power in Houston’s lineup and was viewed along with Alfonso Soriano as the big-money bat of the free agency class. With his power, Lee is a terrific cleanup or fifth hitter in the order. On the down side, Lee is average in the outfield, doesn’t take many walks and isn’t in the best shape.
What’s interesting is that teams, at least thus far, are targeting position players instead of starting pitching. We hear it time and time again about how pitching wins championships, but at least earlier on, that’s not how organizations are choosing to build through free agency. With Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, Ted Lilly and Randy Wolf still available, it’s a bit surprising that ballclubs are spending mega bucks on hitters.
