CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 13: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Sox plays against the Cleveland Guardians during halftime at Progressive Field on July 13, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwan/Getty Images)
Before he accepted a trade with the Houston Astros, first baseman Jose Abreu received an offer from the rival Chicago White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox watched longtime first baseman and former AL MVP of 2020 Jose Abreu enter free agency, eventually signing with the defending World Series champion Houston Astros. Abreu reportedly received a three-year deal for about $60 million from the Astros. While this was certainly heartbreaking news for White Sox fans, it could have been worse for them.
According to Cleveland.com’s Paul HoenesThe Cleveland Guardians offered Abreu a three-year contract before he eventually decided to join the Astros.
The Guardians offered Jose Abreu, a former first baseman for the White Sox, a three-year contract
Seeing Abreu’s tag elsewhere would have dented the White Sox fan base. To see him sign with a division rival like The Guardians would have been very painful. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition.
The Guardians are off to a successful campaign in 2022 as they win the AL Central title for the first time since 2018. Once in the postseason, they are swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card Series, but lose to the New York Yankees in the AL Series.
After losing to Abreu, it will be interesting to see where the Guardians pivot next.
As for the Astros, it was no secret that they were looking to bring in a highly regarded first baseman in free agency. They were reportedly related to Anthony Rizzo, but less than a day after the report was dropped, he re-signed with the New York Yankees. Now, the Astros show up with Abreu as their new first baseman.
The White Sox may have lost Abreu, but they can take some solace in the fact that he didn’t sign with the Guardians.
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