Hot- Stove

Choosing between the Rockies, Cubs and Astros, free-agent second baseman Kaz Matsui figured to remain in his comfort zone in Colorado or join one of the game’s most fabled franchises in Chicago. Instead, Matsui is closing in on a three-year deal worth slightly more than $15 million with the Astros, the only one of his finalists that did not reach the postseason in 2007.

The deal is still not complete, with an industry source saying Friday morning that there are “still some issues to address.” But Matsui’s agent, Arn Tellem, has been negotiating exclusively with the Astros.

Matsui, 32, received only a two-year offer from the Rockies. The Cubs, however, made him a three-year offer similar to the Astros’. Perhaps, after flopping with the Mets from 2004 to ’06, he prefers to go to a lower-profile market.

The Astros likely will insert Matsui, a switch-hitter, into the No. 2 hole behind their newly acquired leadoff man, Michael Bourn. The addition of an offensively skilled second baseman virtually ensures that the team will retain Adam Everett, a weak hitter, at shortstop.

The Cubs did not have an obvious need at second base, where Mark DeRosa is the incumbent, but they are trying to add left-handed hitting to an overly right-handed lineup. Their only positions of flexibility are second base and right field; DeRosa is best, team officials believe, playing several different positions.

The Cubs continue to pursue Japanese free-agent outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, a left-handed hitter who also is drawing interest from the Dodgers, Padres and White Sox, among other clubs.