After the Houston Astros signed first baseman Jose Abreu to a three-year deal on Monday, there is a lot of disappointment among Chicago White Sox fans.
Abreu gave them nine excellent seasons with top-notch offensive performance: he hit .292/.354/.506 with 243 home runs, 863 RBI and a .860 OPS over those years.
The power numbers, especially the RBI, are particularly impressive, but the fact he was able to have a .292 average tells us about the hitter he is.
Even at 35 years old in 2021, he hit .304.
Fans in the south side are taking it to ownership for failing to retain an important middle-of-the-order producer and fan favorite.
“The Astros have gone to like 100 ALCS’s and won a couple world series over the last 10 years. They want to win. The white sox let their best players walk for nothing and tell us they’re trying to win. Both can’t be true at the same time,” Dave Williams of Barstool Chicago tweeted.
The Astros have gone to like 100 ALCS's and won a couple world series over the last 10 years. They want to win. The white sox let their best players walk for nothing and tell us they're trying to win. Both can't be true at the same time https://t.co/5hYFDk88Qz
— dave (@barstoolWSD) November 28, 2022
The White Sox Will Probably Hand First Base To Andrew Vaughn
The White Sox finished last season with an 81-81 record, 11 games behind the Cleveland Guardians.
Their vaunted offense failed to perform like a top unit, they suffered several crucial injuries, and were held back by their manager Tony La Russa.
They have Pedro Grifol as the skipper for next season, which is a start, but losing Abreu might be difficult to navigate.
There aren’t many good first basemen available in free agency or the trade market, so they will probably trust the position to prospect Andrew Vaughn.
Vaughn hit .271/.321/.429 with 17 homers this past season: he is an up-and-coming offensive talent, but asking him to put Abreu’s numbers might be unrealistic at least for 2023.
NEXT: Video Sums Up Jose Abreu's Long Career In Chicago