Report: Houston Astros Finalizing Deal with José Abreu
The Houston Astros have their man.
Yuli Gurriel had been a rock at first base for the Astros since 2016, but that era is no more.
With Gurriel becoming a free agent, the Astros turned their eyes to the market themselves, going out and plucking the top free agent first baseman off the market in José Abreu according to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Some had wondered how aggressive the Astros might be given their current front-office-by-committee, but those worries were unfounded.
Abreu has been one of the most consistent first basemen in the American League with the Chicago White Sox since his 2014 debut. Even at age-35 to begin the 2022 season, Abreu slashed .304/.378/.446.
The Cuban national will turn 36 on Jan. 29.
For his MLB career, Abreu has 243 home runs, an .860 OPS and boasts a 2020 AL MVP Award. Never in his career has his single season OPS+ dropped below 117.
The Astros hope he can maintain his consistency as he continues to age.
Abreu will be 38 years old during the last season of his deal with Houston during the 2025 season.
Further specifics of the deal have yet to be released. We will provide further updates once the AAV and salary are public.
Update: The terms of the deal are $19.5 million per year for Abreu, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reported.
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