The Houston Astros were able to pry slugger Jose Abreu away from the Chicago White Sox: the free agent first baseman signed a three-year deal with the reigning World Series champions.
White Sox fans are extremely disappointed after losing their star player: Abreu is not just a good player, he is one of the best in franchise history.
His value, to White Sox fans, comes both on and off the field.
Now, they have to stomach seeing him in another uniform for the next three seasons.
White Sox’s owner Jerry Reinsdorf released a statement after Abreu left for Houston.
“Full statement below from White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf re Jose Abreu leaving the team: “It was my fervent hope that José would never wear another uniform, as I told him many times throughout the years. Unfortunately, hope is not always translated into reality,” ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweeted, posting a fragment of Reinsdorf’s quotes.
Full statement below from White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf re Jose Abreu leaving the team:
"It was my fervent hope that José would never wear another uniform, as I told him many times throughout the years. Unfortunately, hope is not always translated into reality." https://t.co/2dl6gaxjB5
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) November 29, 2022
“Different Places On The Business Side”
In the statement, Reinsdorf says that “they ended up in different places on the business side”: in English, that means they couldn’t or didn’t want to match the Astros’ offer.
One would have to think that in the event of getting equal offers, Abreu would have chosen to stay in Chicago, where he is a legend.
That’s speculation, though: the reality is that Abreu will have a clearer path towards playing in a World Series with the Astros.
He will share the lineup with Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena and other stars.
The Astros won 106 regular season games and the Fall Classic this year; while the White Sox finished at .500 (81-81) and now have a huge hole to fill at first base and in the lineup.
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