MLB Trade Rumors: 5 potential fits for Jose Abreu

If the Chicago White Sox elect to trade first baseman Jose Abreu, these five teams should consider making a run at him.

For the 13-30 Chicago White Sox, it remains painfully obvious that the rebuild is still several years away from being complete. The initial run of trades last year did not leave many true MLB regulars on the roster, but Jose Abreu continues putting up his steady .300 seasons with close to 30 home runs and 100 RBI. It doesn’t seem to matter to Abreu that he is hitting in a lineup with a bunch of prospects and AAAA veterans.

The White Sox have done a very good job on their rebuild so far, landing colossal returns for Chris Sale, Adam Eaton and Jose Quintana. They are set up well to take over the AL Central in two or three years, but Abreu is unlikely to be a part of the next great teams on the South Side of Chicago.

Abreu is an obvious trade chip, but is still under team control until 2020, making him a very valuable piece when the White Sox finally decide to move him. That time should come at the deadline this year, where Chicago can play contenders against each other for maximum value. It’s obvious that Abreu need to be traded to bring back another trio of elite prospects. When that does happen, these five teams could emerge as potential landing spots.

5. Milwaukee Brewers

First baseman Eric Thames was one of the big stories of the 2017 season as he came storming back to the major leagues from Korea to look like the second coming of Barry Bonds for two months. Obviously, Thames would eventually cool off, finishing the year with a solid .247/.359/.518 line with 31 homers and 63 RBI in 138 games. The Milwaukee Brewers are currently without his services, however, as he recovers from UCL surgery in his thumb. Jesus Aguilar, who did not fully establish himself as a big leaguer until the age of 27 has stepped in and has an OPS over 1.000 through 40 games.

If Aguilar continues to hit like this, the Brewers will have no reason to consider trading for an upgrade at first base. Thames will be out until July, and there is no guarantee he will still be a productive hitter when he does return.

The Brewers are a less likely suitor for Abreu and the White Sox, but he is still a fit there depending on how the team’s needs at first base develop in the coming months. Milwaukee pushed their chips to the middle of the table after a surprising 2017 season and now have to keep doing whatever it takes to stay ahead of the rest of the NL Central.