It was reported Saturday afternoon that the Houston Astros are releasing Jose Abreu. It’s a surprising move for a team that is struggling and just signed the 37-year-old first baseman to a big deal last year. Nonetheless, the Astros were willing to eat the money and Abreu now finds himself as a free agent on the brink of retirement.
When the Astros signed Abreu to a 3-year $58.5 million contract at the beginning of free agency in 2022, the vision was for him to replace Yuli Gurriel. At the time it really did seem like a great fit. The Astros were a team with championship aspirations, and Abreu was one of the biggest names on the market. A three-time all-star and former MVP in 2020, Abreu seemed destined to ride off into the sunset as an Astro.
However, the first year didn’t go so well. It wasn’t terrible, but a .237 batting average with a .679 OPS wasn’t exactly what Houston thought they were paying for. Come the postseason he redeemed himself as he hit four homeruns and drove in 13 RBIs. But after a loss to the Texas Rangers in the ALCS the Astros found themselves in unfamiliar territory- not in the World Series for the first time since 2020.
That leads us to this year, a year where Jose Abreu and the Astros fell off HARD. With a slash line of .124/.167/.195 good for a .392 OPS, Abreu is having the worst season of his career. They sent him to the minors, and he played in only half the games because of it. Although, he did make an excellent play early in the year to preserve Ronel Blanco’s no-no. Yet, the lack of power and ability to play in the MLB all while being 37 clearly indicates that Abreu is on his way out.
The interesting part of Houston releasing Jose Abreu however is that they lack depth at first base throughout their organization. Jon Singleton has struggled and is already 32, while new call-up Cooper Hummel is a 29-year-old journeyman claimed off waivers. With a 32-38 record, things are getting late early for the Astros. Regardless, as their GM Dana Brown put it, “it was time to make a change.”
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