The Houston Astros have made what is looking like one of the most important moves of the offseason so far.
They brought in first baseman Jose Abreu and signed him to a three-year contract.
Initially thought to be $60 million, it turns out it was a bit under that figure.
MLB insider Jon Heyman offered the details of the deal.
“Jose Abreu, Astros: $58.5M/3. $19,500,000 – 2023; $19,500,000 – 2024; $19,500,000 – 2025. Plus: $200,000 for MVP ($175,000-2nd; $150,000-3rd;$125,000-4th; $100,000-5th), $100,000 for WS/MVP, $75,000 for All Star, $75,000 for Gold Glove, Silver Slugger,” Heyman tweeted.
Jose Abreu, Astros
$58.5M/3$19,500,000 – 2023
$19,500,000 – 2024
$19,500,000 – 2025Plus: $200,000 for MVP ($175,000-2nd; $150,000-3rd;$125,000-4th; $100,000-5th)
$100,000 for WS/MVP
$75,000 for All Star
$75,000 for Gold Glove, Silver Slugger— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 1, 2022
It was a nice contract for Abreu, a 35-year-old corner infielder with a career-low 15 home runs in 2022.
Don’t let that number fool you, though: he was still a force last year with the Chicago White Sox.
While playing almost every game, Abreu slashed .304/.378/.446 with the 15 round-trippers, 40 doubles, and a 137 wRC+: it means he produced 37 percent more than the league-average hitter, an excellent mark.
Abreu Is Trying To Fend Off Father Time For Now
He is more than capable of making an impact in the Astros lineup.
He will be surrounded by an elite lineup, and will have plenty of RBI opportunities hitting around Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, and similarly talented batters.
Abreu, however, is now officially on a race against Father Time.
Few sluggers have remained at the top of their game while they approach the late 30s.
Time is undefeated, but the Astros are making a worthy gamble anyway: if Abreu can be a 120 wRC+ or around that mark for at least two of the next three seasons, their lineup will be virtually unstoppable, not to mention they have been linked with Cody Bellinger and Willson Contreras even after securing Abreu.
They are going all in once again in 2023.
