Boom, Bust or Bobby Bonilla: Kaz Matsui

"Boom, Bust, or Bobby Bonilla" takes a look at MLB's Free Agents and the teams who need them in 2008.

There's been a lot of talk in recent years about the humidor that's used at Coors Field to take some spark out of baseballs used in that stadium. After years of offensive numbers that would make the Babe himself blush, games in Denver have started to resemble those played in the other 29 Major League ballparks. Heck, it was the Rockies pitching, not their bats, that led them from the back of the pack to the pennant this October.

That doesn't mean there aren't still some advantages to hitters playing a mile high. Kaz Matsui hit .330 with an 864 OPS in home games this year, pretty remarkable production from a second base man not named Chase Utley. In road games, however, he was more like the Matsui who made Met fans sick to their stomachs. A .249 average and a 638 OPS aren't notable unless you're a pitcher.

So it would seem like Matsui should be doing everything in his power to return to the Rockies. The team could use him as well. They are moving third base prospect Ian Stewart to second but could use the veteran as insurance in case that doesn't go well and, again, he did well at Coors.

Colorado reportedly offered him a two-year deal but Matsui hasn't agreed to it yet. Could there really be other teams who are ignoring the brutal splits and looking at Matsui as a second base solution? Surprisingly, yes. The Cubs are said to be mulling a three-year offer to Matsui, despite having Mark DeRosa on the hook for nearly $5 million next year. Matsui can also play short but the North Siders also have Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot and speedy minor leaguer Eric Patterson as middle infielders in the organization.

Given all that it's hard to understand what need they would have for Matsui. He has good speed, but so does Patterson, and he does good work with the glove but there's little reason to think he'd provide the same kind of offense away from Coors. The Astros may also have interest in Matsui but is he any better than Chris Burke? Burke's no great shakes but he's about the same as the non-Coors Matsui and there's no reason to throw good money after bad.

If Matsui does insist on a three-year deal I think he'll be gone from Colorado. They'll use Stewart and/or sign another utility type to a one-year deal. Then Matsui will go somewhere else and quickly return to being the bust he was in Flushing.