Chicago Sun-Times: Mariotti: Is Fukudome worth $50 million?

Hey, Mariotti…Fuku.

For every Ichiro who comes to the majors and excels, there are other Asian products who don’t match the hype. Matsui has been fairly productive, but hardly as Ruthian as projected. Dice-K was considered a disappointment of sorts until he picked up his pitching pace in October. As the negative extreme, you recall Hee-Seop Choi, who flopped with the Cubs, Marlins and Dodgers and now plays for the Kia Tigers in the South Korean KBO League. Anyone who saw the World Baseball Classic knows Fukudome will have impact. But as the regular right fielder, he will be expected to produce good numbers immediately. Is that realistic? What if he’s just a high-priced Matt Murton? Why not sign a surer commodity such as Rowand, who knows the lay of the Chicago land, has played in the National League the last two seasons and would be a fixture in center for years? This means the Cubs have little choice but to hand center field to Felix Pie, the supposed five-tool phenom who has been talked about for eons, and let him either thrive or fail.