Veteran first baseman Jose Abreu has signed on with los Senadores de San Juan to play within the Puerto Rican Winter League this offseason as he gears up for a hopeful huge league return in 2025, studies Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com.
The 2024 season was an abject nightmare for Abreu, whose struggles with the Astros led to him getting optioned to Triple-A at one level and ultimately launched halfway by way of the second season of a three-year, $58.5MM free agent deal that stands as a colossal misstep for the Astros (who have been working with out a normal supervisor on the time of the deal, leaving proprietor Jim Crane to supervise baseball operations choices). Abreu hit simply .237/.296/.383 in yr one of many contract however nonetheless popped 18 homers and loved a robust end that created some cautious optimism concerning the present season. Any such hopes of a rebound rapidly pale, nevertheless, when Abreu tanked with a calamitous .124/.167/.195 batting line in 120 plate appearances previous to his launch.
It was an unfathomable decline for a former AL MVP who was a constant power in the course of the White Sox lineup for 9 years previous to signing in Houston. Even detractors who pointed to purple flags in his batted-ball profile and declining energy in his ultimate yr with Chicago couldn’t have moderately predicted a drop-off of such excessive magnitude.
With that kind of manufacturing (or lack thereof) within the rapid rearview mirror and Abreu’s thirty eighth birthday looming in January, the chances of a resurgence really feel pretty slim. That mentioned, Abreu continues to be locked into the third yr of that Astros contract, that means any workforce can signal him and owe him solely the prorated league minimal for any time spent on the large league roster.
For a participant with Abreu’s observe report of thunderous manufacturing — to say nothing of his steadily cited management traits and clubhouse worth — taking what quantities to a free look might maintain attraction to plenty of golf equipment. That may very well be very true for payroll-conscious golf equipment with youthful in-house choices who might develop right into a extra distinguished function however are as of but unproven. Solely time will inform whether or not he exhibits sufficient in winter ball to get that chance, however his manufacturing will likely be price monitoring; the Puerto Rican Winter League kicks off in November.