MLB Trade Rumors 2019: Top 25 assets

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 20: San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) throws a pitch during a MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 20, 2019 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 18: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Soxbats against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on June 18, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

21. Jose Abreu

If the Chicago White Sox had wanted to trade veteran first baseman Jose Abreu, they probably would have by now. Abreu was kept around during the leanest years of the rebuild to try and provide some support and protection for young studs like Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez. It appears to have worked out for the best, with all three of the youngsters looking like potential All-Stars on a team that could be very dangerous in a season or two.

Abreu never asked out of Chicago, and the 32-year-old deserves a lot of credit for that. He wasted his prime years on a losing ballclub and has yet to appear in the postseason. Despite the stripped-down roster around him, Abreu still put up solid numbers. He is a career .291/.348/.514 hitter with 164 home runs and 543 RBI in six seasons since signing out of Cuba. In the two-plus seasons since the rebuild began in earnest, he has hit .281/.332/.513 with 73 home runs and 235 RBI in 360 games.

At this point, it is most likely that Abreu will play out the remainder of his career with the White Sox, but he does still offer some solid trade value, especially as a rental bat. He is a steady power hitter who can be counted on to have a good at-bat and make hard contact. Abreu has never put up numbers that push him out of the solid category and into superstar territory. He is just incredibly consistent. An extension is more likely than a trade for the White Sox and Abreu, but contenders should still kick the tires and see if there is any interest in dealing him.

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