Jose Abreu's future up in the air after comments by Astros GM
By Mark Powell
Houston Astros fans are frustrated with Jose Abreu, that much is clear. In fact, they have been frustrated for the better part of a year at this point.
Abreu was signed to a three-year, $58 million contract in the winter of 2023. The hope was that the Chicago White Sox gave op on Abreu too early, and that Jose would be the everyday first baseman in Houston. That hasn't worked out exactly as planned, as Abreu slashed just .237/.296/.383 in 2023, and is hitting just .086 so far this season. Yes, you read that correctly.
Abreu has received some time off lately from manager Joe Espada. For those Astros fans who think I'm reading too far into Espada's intentions, I'll just let Dana Brown explain Houston's thinking for me.
Astros general manager Dana Brown on José Abreu via @AstrosRadioMLB. Abreu, who is not in today's lineup, is 4-for-59 this season with four singles, 17 strikeouts and has committed three errors at first base. pic.twitter.com/CWd21PdF5z
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) April 21, 2024
"There's no way to sugarcoat this" is never a good start.
Astros GM sends a clear message to Jose Abreu
Abreu has been a disastrous signing for the Astros, and honestly a topic most pundits would've paid more attention to in Houston were it not for their subpar start to the 2024 regular season. The Astros rotation is a mess thanks to injuries, Josh Hader isn't pitching up to par and the lineup leaves a lot to be desired. To sum it all up, they are 7-16 for a reason.
Brown's hope remains that Abreu gets hot at the right time. Sitting the veteran a few days and letting him work with the hitting coaches full time can only help matters.
"Right now, we’ll continue to figure that out as we talk it through with the guys downstairs. But we’re going to continue to figure out how to get (Abreu) some playing time to see if he can get hot. And if he gets hot, we’ll be happy. And if he doesn’t get hot, we’ll have to circle back and make some decisions," Brown said via the Houston Chronicle.
What, uh, decision? Apparently a follow-up response wasn't offered.
The Astros don't have room on their roster for an aging veteran hitting under .100. No MLB team does, which speaks to the talent of the league itself.
Houston should be a contender, but they are not playing like it. Good for Brown and Espada for sitting Abreu despite his contract. There are some teams which would not take that step.
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