No hitter has had a worse start to the season than José Abreu. The veteran first baseman has only picked up four hits in 65 plate appearances. He’s hitting .068/.138/.085 with one extra-base knock, a double. Among hitters with 50+ trips to the dish, none has made less of an impact from a power perspective. Only Victor Scott II — a glove-first rookie whom the Cardinals optioned over the weekend — has as poor an on-base mark.
While St. Louis had the luxury of sending Scott to Triple-A, the Astros can’t do the same with Abreu. He’d need to agree to any kind of minor league assignment. They’re not going to find a trade partner. In all likelihood, the only way for Houston to take him off the MLB roster is to release him and eat the remaining money on his $58.5MM free agent deal. Considering Abreu is making $19.5MM both this season and next, it’s not especially surprising that Houston isn’t ready to move on entirely.
At the same time, they have to at least consider the possibility of making a change at first base. The Astros have already kicked Abreu to the bottom third of the batting order after he started the year in the #5 hole. He has gotten the start in 16 of Houston’s 23 games, with Jon Singleton getting the nod at first base for the other seven appearances.
If Singleton were hitting well, perhaps Abreu would be in danger of losing his starting job. Yet the lefty-hitting Singleton is off to a lackluster .229/.308/.286 line in his own right. It comes as no surprise that Houston’s first basemen have been the sport’s least productive through three weeks. No team has gotten less than their .110/.187/.146 showing over 91 plate appearances.
While Singleton isn’t exactly forcing his way into the lineup, the Astros could consider alternatives in the minors. Offseason trade acquisition Trey Cabbage is on the 40-man roster but has been on optional assignment to Triple-A Sugar Land all season. He’s hitting .262/.407/.492 over his first 18 games. Former seventh-round pick Joey Loperfido has raked at a .260/.359/.688 clip over 19 contests for the Space Cowboys. The Duke product is tied with Heston Kjerstad for the Triple-A lead with 10 home runs. Loperfido is not on the 40-man but will need to be added at some point this year if Houston wants to keep him out of next offseason’s Rule 5 draft.
Neither Cabbage nor Loperfido is certain or even necessarily likely to produce against big league pitching. Cabbage appeared in 22 games for the Angels last season and struck out in nearly half his plate appearances. He’s going down on strikes a third of the time this year in Triple-A. Loperfido has had a similarly high swing-and-miss rate, fanning at a 33.7% clip this year after running a 32.6% strikeout percentage in his first look at Triple-A pitching last summer. He’s soon to turn 25 and has yet to make his major league debut.
Even if the Astros aren’t sold on Loperfido or Cabbage making enough contact to produce at the MLB level, they’ll obviously need to see more from Abreu to continue running him out there. General manager Dana Brown acknowledged as much last week. The GM told Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle on Friday that while the Astros would continue to give Abreu playing time in hopes that he finds his stride, they’d “have to circle back and make some decisions” if the former MVP doesn’t start hitting. That preceded an 0-8 showing from Abreu in the first two games of their weekend series against the Nationals. Singleton got the nod in yesterday’s series finale and went 0-3.
A player starting the year slowly can easily be overemphasized. A terrible three-week stretch to begin the season is more visible than a similar run in the middle of the summer might be. Teams are understandably wary about overreacting to a small sample in April, as Brown noted. Abreu’s struggles are magnified, though, because he’s already coming off a disappointing first year.
In 594 plate appearances a year ago, he hit .237/.296/.383 with 18 home runs. Of the 25 first basemen who took at least 500 plate appearances, Abreu was last in OBP and 22nd in slugging. Including this year’s start brings his overall line as an Astro to .220/.281/.354. That’d be subpar production for virtually any regular on a team with postseason aspirations. It’s particularly poor for a 37-year-old first baseman whose main source of value is supposed to be his bat.
To his credit, Abreu found his form to some extent late last season. He carried a .237/.296/.350 mark into September before connecting on seven homers with a .237/.299/.536 line in the regular season’s final month. He built off that in October, mashing at a .295/.354/.591 clip with another four longballs in 11 playoff contests. Abreu has also traditionally been a slow starter, even if this month’s struggles are at another level. For his career, he owns a roughly league average .241/.309/.421 line in March and April; he has posted well above-average offensive numbers in every other month.
That perhaps offers some level of optimism that Abreu will be able to turn things around. Still, despite a strong Spring Training performance, he hasn’t smoothly carried his late-2023 rebound into this season. How much more leeway the front office and manager Joe Espada can afford to give him remains to be seen.
Houston’s offense has been solid overall despite the complete lack of production at first base, yet they’re operating with far less margin for error than they have in past seasons. Poor performances from the starting rotation and the back of the bullpen, combined with a lack of timely hits, have led to a dismal 7-16 start. Only the White Sox have been worse in the American League. Urgency is soon going to mount. If the Astros get to a point where they feel a change in playing time is necessary, first base might be the likeliest position to do so.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Bro left Chicago and imploded.
Can’t hit what you can’t hear
Because he’s probably 50 yrs old on his real birth certificate
Explain to me when and why Jose Abreu faked his birth certificate. Please, I want you to take just two seconds to think about this. Maybe youll realize how dumb and racist your comment is
Not dumb nor racist….pretty common knowledge that Cuban as well as many “other” poor third world nation players have been caught but also all come to realize that baseball is a path out of poverty….thereby, also knowing that younger ballplayers always get the nod first from ML teams, there is great incentive to chop a couple of years off their age to “fit” better…..that and combined with a pretty lackluster records keeping system in third world countries…..sets the table……there….not racist nor dumb….only your regard for what is can be fact and your WOKE thinking……
1. “Third world” is racist
2. Cubans do not have that same incentive
3. Seriously, none of this applies to Jose Abreu, a man who played a decade of professional baseball before defecting in his athletic prime.
4. Cuba has a great healthcare system; it does not have “lackluster record keeping”
Accusing Jose Abreu of lying about his age, in the face of all evidence otherwise, simply because some other players from “third world”
countries did so is explicitly racist.
“Cuban’s don’t have that same incentive”, is just ignorant. Somehow Cuban’s are above cheating? I noticed you didn’t say anything about the fact that people who want to leave Cuba have to defect and actually escape the country and become an immigrant somewhere just to try to play here. Just because someone has something to say that you don’t like, doesn’t make it racist. Nobody mentioned any race before you called someone a racist. How lazy is that? Just go ahead and throw it out there in hopes people hush. He said the guy was a 50 year old, he didn’t even say Cuban UNTIL AFTER you called him that. Sad really. This glory you are trying to sell of Cuba is no bueno.
Danny Almonte
Fausto Carmona
Miguel Tejada
Wandy Rodriguez
Rafael Furcal
Bartolo Colon
Hector Luna
The reason players have lied about their age is because they were overlooked when 16yo and go unsigned. So they pretend at say 18yo and further developed that they are instead a raw 16yo. This does not apply in any way whatsoever to Jose Abreu and other Cuban players who defect after establishing pro careers in Cuba. Jose Abreu was a full fledged professional playing in Cuba’s top league at age 16. There’s no more reason to suspect he is lying about his age than Mike Trout is
Yeah the person using slurs is who I’m gonna listen to about racism. And 3 likes. Great comments section, MLBTR!
That list proves my point…
Damn bro. Cuba has a great healthcare system and labeling people racist? hahahahahhahahhahahhahahhahahhahahhahahha
Arguably the most efficient healthcare system in the world. Higher life expectancy in Cuba than the US. Much lower incidence of infant malnutrition than in the US. Current WHO rankings have the US at 37 and Cuba at 39. Health Index Score has Cuba at 27 and the US at 69.
“Explain to me”..People like you don’t define what is racist and what is not. People like you are the ones that turn “racism” into politics and try to benefit politically and stoke “racism”.
I am trying to benefit politically from the racist questioning of Jose Abreu’s age by some of the dumbest people with internet access. You got me.
Why is the thought of Cuba having a great healthcare system so funny to you?
Current WHO rankings huh? You will be happy eating the bugs and having nothing, of that I’m sure.
The commenter said nothing like your (waycist) dog whistle. Enjoy your cannibalism when it comes for you.
I really wish that MLBTR commentors would stick to baseball because when they talk about anything else they shatter the illusion that I’m dealing with people with an ounce of compassion or intellect
Not a single one of these players is Cuban.
After seeing who is liking my post, I feel I should make it clear that I am on Eighty Raw’s side
@DarkSide830; And kudos to the Sox FO. Maybe they saw this coming thus decided to not actively try to keep him?
Thank God we have Bobby Dalbec!
Brandon Belt is unsigned, would be a good platoon mate for him.
Would be a good replacement for him
If Houston is willing to eat the $$$ left on the contract …. We will welcome him back to the White Sox clubhouse with open arms. He ain’t hitting no worse than anybody else in the Sox lineup right now.
Amen. His presence in the club house would at least give Sox Players an example to emulate, and, if the Astros released him, for the prorated m ajar league minimum.
Oh, I don’t know. In looking at their collective batting averages, it seems the Sox are already emulating Abreu.
I was a big fan of Jose when he was with the Sox, but he was never a leader then. Too quiet like Harold Baines but he certainly demonstrated professionalism on the field.
@Very Barry: It’s hard to be a clubhouse leader if you are performing that badly on the field.
Maybe Abreu’s shrunken rat monkey head beard has some sort of voodoo that needs expunging.
I guarantee you wouldn’t say that to the man. Clown.
…although the comment was rude, he certainly could say that to the man.
Since, Abreu (still) doesn’t speak English ! 11 years in the majors and collecting millions of U.S. dollars, yet no desire to assimilate.
“It’s just a little thing I can do to show my respect for this country,” said Abreu through Russo. “How thankful I am for the way that the people have been welcoming me.
“That’s just a little sign of respect for the country and for the American people. Like I said, they respect us, and we have to respect them. We respect their culture and the way they received us and welcomed us.”
“My oldest, he already speaks very good English, and my youngest is already speaking in English,” Abreu said. “I don’t want to find myself in a situation where I can’t understand what they are saying. I know that I need to improve my language and my speaking.”
Turns out he does speak English and respects US culture. But it also wouldnt matter if he didnt.
Thank you Jeff Bagwell for this albatross of a contract.
It’s hardly an albatross contract considering it’s 3 years and this is year 2. Not a pretty contract but hardly something that’s gonna mess up thing long term.
Angels on line 1 regarding Mr. Rendon. And Mr. Pujols. And Mr. Hamilton.
37 years old. While even at that age he should hitter but have to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for him.
More like the middle of the end.
They aren’t playing hopscotch in those Cuban leagues. That is intense, rough baseball. He’s basically had two different complete careers.
And when you’re in the middle of the road, you’re roadkill.
He’s probably not 37. I’d be willing to bet he’s closer to 47 than 37. Lots of rumors about “inaccurate “ birth certificates with Latin American players and Abreu sure looks like a candidate for that to me. He looks about two steps behind. The game has passed him by.
Yup. He’s always looked older than it was claimed he was to me. I’m guessing he’s actually in his early 40’s.
Considering that Abreu started playing pro ball in Cuba at “16” y.o. with his stats available on bref, he must’ve been only six years old when he began his baseball career.
Those players caught by the way were Tejeda, Furcal, Rodriquez, Colon etc just in baseball….all admittedly faked their ages…so it is possible that Abreu’s diminished skills are a result of age catching up with him……so are these facts “racist”?
They arent Cuban! We have records of Jose Abreu as a full professional baseball player at age 16. There would be no incentive for him to lie.
Don’t speculate based on 0, that’s rubbish. 37 year old players decline sharply all the time, it’s not as if he’s claiming to be 27.
Love the casual racism on display here. Great comments section!
And saying women are older than they claim is casual sexist?
@kcmark
Clearly, yes. To suggest that all women lie about their age is blatantly sexist. Was this supposed to be a “gotcha”? Congrats!
That’s not much of an issue for Cuban players who have already established themselves in a pro league before coming to MLB. They have little to no reason to fake their ages to play in the Cuban League.
The article states Trey Cabbage is in Sugar Land on “optional assignment.” I have never heard that term before in my life. What on earth is an “optional assignment” ?? If he doesn’t feel like playing that day, he can stay home on the couch?
It sounds like he’s a war correspondent, volunteering to go to Ukraine even though it’s dangerous.
For lack of a better term, ISOB- he was assigned to Sugar Land whilst the team used an Option (year)
Cabbage in Sugarland. Sounds like a New Age Salad.
That must be what Kris Bryant has been doing all this time! Optional assignment. Now it finally all makes sense!
I have no idea why teams guarantee big money to players. If I was an owner I would get together with the other owners and make a new system. It would be 100% based on performance.
Everyone in the league would get the same base salary per game. You would get a certain amount for a single, double, triple or homer. Give the winning team more money that is spread amongst all the players.
Seeing a player like Rendon out there as an owner would disgust me. There has to be a better way then this. Players don’t want to get paid like that then go get a day job.
Yes, make an efficient baseball market inefficient and sell an inferior product where the best athletes play other pro sports or go overseas for better guaranteed contracts.
Congratulations, you now have a work stoppage and if you don’t budge, a new league hiring all the elite players you just alienated! Goodbye multi-billion-dollar league and profits. Whoopsie!
Only in a capitalist brainwashed society would someone think that elite talents have no power and no choice but to get a day job if they don’t want to take a much worse offer and job security and hand even more profits to their bosses.
I find that it isn’t irrational to agree that people deserve to be paid for their current performance, even if I disagree with the original post and don’t necessarily disagree with yours beyond the seeming intention to make it all about capitalism, which I also am not saying I support necessarily. But I find something incomplete and not totally rational in the logic of your last paragraph, tho I get what you are likely trying to say and it isn’t illogical. I guess it’s because, whether or not there could be a better system, the things you described aren’t capitalism at all and the players, tho underpaid in terms of the whole pool of profit, do have options and make good money (except arbitration and pre-arb which needs fixed). I would also argue that we don’t really live in a capitalist society and haven’t for perhaps 100 years. It’s pseudo-capitalism (again I’m not necessarily a capitalist supporter but government interference in markets is not capitalism).
I also must say tho that while the idea of paying for performance might not be bad idealistically there is, in most jobs, no way to measure performance, as quality, quantity, personality (in some jobs), etc all must be weighed and 2 of those are subjective factors.
Unfortunately, your idea is not based on reality….
Union / collusion…..dah
Aside from the fact that your plan is collusion, unless you try to collectively bargain it- and good luck with that- I do have questions:
1) How would you motivate players to stay with bad teams if they’re paid per win?
2) I assume HRs would pay the most money, so wouldn’t that just encourage a game of home run derby?
3) If a player is injured, how would you fairly compensate them?
4) Wouldn’t that system be grossly unfair to glove first players? It might be tempting to say you’d pay for defensive stats, but then you create a system where everyone wants to be infielders instead of outfielders. You also severely hinder left-handed throwing players then because they can’t play the premium defensive positions.
“If I was an owner I would get together with the other owners and make a new system”
Yeah why dont the owners just do a collusion
Aside from wrecking the free agency system that the players worked for many years to get, paying purely based on performance would wreck competitive balance. We’d be back in the early days of MLB when only the big markets could afford to hire the best players or buy them from the smaller markets. Even when the smaller markets manage to draft and develop a superstar, they’d be forced to sell or trade him away after his first breakout season, even earlier than when the Rays make their trades.
Call Jerry Reinsdork and Chris “Don’t” Getz it and they’ll trade you Andrew Vaughn for Abreu and a bag of batting practice balls.
The batting practice balls represent all the value in that trade.
The money gets a lot closer in a Benintendi swap. I would be on board with that. Left-handed bat for Houston who needs a change of scenery. A clubhouse in Chicago that needs Abreu back.
Getz was a bad hire. How many times does this man need to prove his incompetence?
30 Parks
Getz was a bad hire.
===========================
Why? I looked at his transactions since he took over, and they look reasonable or better. He inherited a 100-loss team, and just lost his best player.
@JB
Agreed. The fact that they seem to have found a couple of good starting pitchers is getting lost in their poor overall record.
They were never going to hit. Bringing solid defenders to help give the pitchers the best possible chance to develop was the smart move.
Abreu ain’t going no where, not with contract. If anything cut Singleton, and bring the rookie up if you have to put him on the 40 man. No one is going to steal Singleton away. Let Abreu show the kid the ropes, and if he doesn’t hit, you always have cabbage.
Lettuce see what happens!
These should be the salad days of Abreus career. No need to be Russian things. There are figuratively a thousand island he could go to if he wanted to retire.
Singleton and Cabbage should not even be in the conversation. Neither is a solution, just an alternative problem.
Abreu is not 37. He is minimum 40 and maximum 45. Just like Pujols,Tejada,etc
Agreed.
Right- so he started his pro career when he was 8 in Cuba???
What a stupid statement. Look at when he started playing at 16 in Cuba then do the sums.
If Pujols was really even older than (42 I think?) then he had about the most miraculous comeback season ever even tho they were likely throwing him some juiced Manfred balls at some point at least. A decline surely couldn’t be explained by repeated leg problems and signing that huge contract. Tho perhaps there was news I missed.
Its a fact that Pujols was 21 his senior year of high school.
When and why did Jose Abreu start faking his age? Come on, really show off those critical thinking skills
Another poor signing by Houston. With the loss of those draft picks a few years ago due to getting caught for cheating and the poor signings by management to cover up the lack of depth, the Astros are in for a few rough years to come.
This guy was cooked before he came to Houston but Houston gets to pay for it.
Lol at this hindsight 20/20 guy. It was panned as a good signing. No one knew he lied about his age, and his production would fall off a cliff.
I thought it was a very poor and non astros like to decision to pay Montero & Abreu at that time.
Jeff Luhnow built them a winner but everything since has not been remarkable. Luhnow gave them so much that it’s set them up so well for so long. But now there’s nothing left in the system that can come up and cover the holes. They don’t have anything left to trade to acquire talent.
They’re going to have sell off some pieces at the deadline.
“This guy was cooked before he came to Houston”
wRC+ of 137 the year prior. But I guess you just knew better than everyone else. Why arent you a GM?
He looks absolutely godawful, he is so behind on everything and doesn’t seem to have a consistent approach. He is seriously up there just flailing right now.
BIT you’re not pulling the plug after 60 at bats. He also started slow last year. And you’re paying him way too much.
I respect the guy, great career and he seems a high character guy. Too bad its working out this way, but…..there are options. Yanier Diaz also plays 1B. Catcher Cesar Salazar is raking at AAA, and he’s on the 40 man.
Caratini is better than Salazar.
well yes, of course he is. With Diaz at first base you need another catcher. Caratini number 1 , Salazar number 2
There is no need to do anything but pipe gas right down the gut – 3pitches.
Next batter.
chris taylor w 2 hits in 39abs
At least CT can play a variety of positions unlike Abreu.
And he’s not an everyday player.
If Houston is willing to eat most of his money, the White Sox will take him. He’d be a morale boost for the team and fans. Might even even finish his career with the White Sox on a decent note.
It might actually give him the boost of energy to start hitting again, a lá Albert Pujols.
Isn’t the Cuban country club atmosphere exactly what send the ChiSox down the drain?
His bat looks EXTREMELY slow. Looks like age is just catching up to him.
.068/.138/.085
Reminds of the good ol’ days when pitchers used to hit!
That’s what happens when you stop teaching pitchers to hit.
Only most pitchers did better than that
It’s not racism. It’s a product of his coming from Cuba (which is not a race and has nothing to do with it’s people but the lack of ability to verify age in all instances). Please stop with the race card. Racism is often a mere projection of hostility from the real racist, the person crying racism. The main problem being people being raised on the idea (through media) that they are the main victims of this, and hence looking for it’s verification in the slightest of awkward interactions. As a socially awkward/shy person from a mixed family in a very diverse metro ATL I know a good bit on this. I get sneers and am also taunted (even attacked once) for mere misperceived social awkwardness. Most racism in the US is a product of speaking about it all the time (keeping it on people’s minds). Morgan Freeman has spoken extensively and very wisely on this. I won’t deny some racist tendencies sprouting towards Hispanics now tho, but it doesn’t go only one way either. But this is the norm when two or more cultures meet abruptly on a large scale. It’s human nature. And also Hispanic is not really a race but a culture so it’s the wrong word anyway. Also the social awkwardness stems sometimes from fearing you may be misread
“It’s not racism. It’s a product of his coming from Cuba (which is not a race and has nothing to do with it’s people but the lack of ability to verify age in all instances).”
See this is racism. We have no reason whatsoever to doubt Jose Abreu’s Cuban birth certificate, which very much can be verified. A vast majority of baseball players who have faked their age/birth certificate are Dominican, meaning they are from a completely different Latin country. So why are people doubting Jose Abreu’s age, despite all evidence and logic? Because he shares something in common with Dominicans: he’s Latin.
“Please stop with the race card”
This is something a stupid person says
“Racism is often a mere projection of hostility from the real racist, the person crying racism”
This is something only the stupidest of people say
I love the mute button. I don’t think you could troll much more in these comments.
The thing a stupid person does is keep saying things someone said are stupid without saying why and calling a person stupid. It’s not racism because nobody is saying this because of his race but because of cuban birth certificate verification problems. Yes it was stupid for the person to claim he lied about age. If you think the last thing you claimed was stupid is stupid than you are extremely blind and naive. Really I think you just don’t understand the basic tenet of psychology which is projection, as your own calling this and that stupid several times is the clearest sign ever of projection from a person who has deep seated inferiority and thus props themself up as smarter than everyone because deep down they have little self esteem and so it feels good to be the one who knows it all. It’s a defense mechanism so you won’t have to take a good look at yourself. Or else you wouldn’t care about whether what I said was “stupid” or not. You would simply say “I disagree”.
Came to Houston with a lifetime .292, now hitting .284
I don’t claim to know of any birth certificate shenanigans in Abreu’s case, but suffice to say maybe the game has just passed him by. Wouldn’t be the first 37yo (or older) to make that claim, nor the last.
I was literally agreeing with you, JackHoff, and validated it by providing a worthwhile stat. My point is, and was, that maybe age just caught up to him. No need to respond further, unless you have some additional baseball input.
A comment section so toxic that agreeing with someone gets you insulted. Classic.
More like the Fastball is passing him by.
“Blow that speedball by ya, make you look like a fool”
“just fell off a cliff? No gradual decline? Doesn’t make sense as just being age”
Sounds like Jason Werth. Or Ian Desmond. Or Howard Johnson. Or Patrick Corbin. Or…
It happens sometimes.
While gradual declines are much more common, there are also plenty of players who suffer a huge decline all at once.
wood, there’s just a lot of super fun people with great senses of humor here! Or not.
There have been so many “big bat” free agents the last few years that haven’t worked out at all. Could these mega contracts, all guaranteed, be partly to blame? I’m not saying they are, but if someone handed me 200 or 300 million dollars guaranteed, it would take much of the work ethic wind out of my sails.
What do you mean by “you people”?!?!
Lets say the Astros decide to eat Abreu’s contract, if you are the Red Sox and Casas is going to be down for a while do take a flier knowing the resume?
Absolutely not, nope no way, can’t happen. This is well below replacement level, call up a kid, any kid before signing Abreu. Honestly we are better off now with Bobby playing until Casas is back. If ya wanted to try anything maybe trade for a 3B and move Devers over to 1B. Signing Bauer would help too lol but Henry too woke for that.
Although the accumulating injuries and other uncontrollable variables are certainly the primary drivers of the current situation, when does Espada begin to feel the heat for the unfolding debacle that looks to be an impending collapse of a season?
I was always pretty ambivalent regarding Dusty (neither hater nor fanboy) but you have to ask if he would have the same results had he stuck around for one more season?
We would have seen more of Abreu, Meyers, Kessinger, Julks et al.
Things would be worse in so many ways.
He’s have the same results but from the 5th spot instead of the 8th spot in the lineup.
Rockies would trade Kris Bryant for him. I’m sure the Tigers would do the same with Javier Baez.
That trade would not make sense for the Tigers. They already have Tork Bomb playing first base and not hitting. Baez is playing great defence and is figuring some stuff out at the plate. He’s hit .344 over the last ten games and only struck out five times in 29 at bats.
Neither trade would be about getting anything. It would be all about getting current and future money off the books. Judge him all you want for the last ten games, I’ll just look at the past three years.
Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell thought they were smarter than their FO people for a brief moment in history.
Congratulations Astros—that landed you Jose Abreu & Rafael Montero! & Michael Brantley in ‘23!
Montero is fine and Brantley was too last year. Your point is valid, however, Crane and Bagwell making these decisions is a real worry.
If abreau was a poster on this site, would he around the same age as the average poster? Older? Younger?
I think he’d be well below the average age. Like by at least a decade.
Astros started the season playing NYY, TOR, KC, TEX, ATL, and WAS. They are not a .304 team.
Honestly for the people that watch them and understand the game know the breaks just aren’t going their way right now. Many teams will go through a rough stretch at one point during the season, but it is magnified when it is early. I watch most of the games and if the whole starting staff isn’t on the IL and they get some timely hits they are leading the division. It is currently a very snakebit team.
19 mil is nothing. Rendon makes twice that.
Glad you didn’t say he “earns” that.
Prime example of why baseball shouldn’t have guaranteed contracts. Teams should be able to void a portion of the contract if the player is not putting up numbers to support that contract.
Bootlicker
Is there actually any evidence of lying about age? So many absurd statements here. Declines are quite often sudden. Add to that leaving the only MLB team he’s ever played for. Seems like it is more frequent for players south of border to peak early and decline suddenly. He’s lasted quite long in that respect. I suspect it is because they are often working like professionals practically since they were teens, in his case actually playing professionally since 16. Most US born players cannot relate to the Ichiros or Andruw Jones of the world who play professionally so young and whose parents made them practically work to death on baseball since they were kids. Idk about Abreu but even if it weren’t the case is it unheard of to decline after 35?
No. But rumor has it he is a former teammate of Orlando Cepeda.
No, it’s just racism. Shocking to see here, I know
Just stop already. First off Cuban is an ethnicity and not a race. Second, there is only one Cuban I’ve ever disliked in my entire life. That’s Mark Cuban.
Suggesting a Cuban player, who we have extensive records on dating back more than 20 years, faked his age simply because some non-Cuban Latin players have faked their ages to appear younger when signing as international FAs is racism, pal.
Dumped him from my fantasy team 2 weeks ago. That train’s going nowhere.
The Astros just need to rip the band-aid off and cut him. All they are doing is keeping around somebody who contributes to losses. They need to admit to themselves they screwed up here and cut their losses.
What’s not mentioned here is how bad he’s been defensively. Dude makes what seems to end up being a crucial error almost every game now. Drops a pick on a throw or a foul ball that almost always becomes a run, and then turns into extra innings and that seems to mean auto-loss for this team. Gonna be a long summer.
The Bregman extension will have more dead money and skunk costs than the Abreu. contract, not to mention paying Altuve 30 mil per when he’s 35, 36,and 37.
I like “skunk” costs! Apropos!
I haven’t had skunk costs since back in the 80s.
Altuve is already aging much better than Bregman. If I’m the Astros, I don’t give into Bregy. Let him go make his fortune elsewhere and age poorly.
Carbon dating indicates he is 45.
He’s a better player than he has shown, but age-related decline is something you can’t ignore. The vast majority of players in the post-PED Era lose effectiveness. I’m not accusing him of use at all…just noting that physiology is what it is. Seems the FA market may be acknowledging that as well–older hitters are waiting longer and getting paid less.
Brandon Belt?
Couldn’t have happened to a better franchise.
Astros are finished
Everyone’s injured
Abreu sucks
Hader sucks
Worst farm system in baseball
A thousand trash cans wont save em now
You sound perfectly sane
Trade him to the White Sox.
I know Abreu’s struggles go deeper than this BUT a
.093 BABIP is a bit extreme and unlikely to stay that low. I get some of it is because he’s making weak contact and on the ground but still let’s say his BABIP was .265 — still well below average (league and Abreu career) he’d be hitting. 225 — still not good but also not .068 lol
He was a very conscientious worker who kept himself fit and led by example. Then he got to Houston and acquired all these bad habits. Must be due to the clubhouse anthem they pipe in: “I don’t want to work I want to bang on the can all day”
Not another weak attempt by MLBTR to be like Fangraphs. Stay in your line: you’re a transactions site, not a stats site. There is nothing novel about this article: “ohhhh so-and-so is bad, here are some stats I found that anyone would see if they check is page on Fangraphs.” Stop this nonsense.