Jose Abreu signs with Sox

[jokin]

I must say I'm not very interested in him because we don't have a big hole(Canyon) at 1B

I truly care for pitching and Jacoby Ellsbury.

 

Parmelee and Colabello don't represent, at least the prospect of, the Grand Canyon in 2014?

 

We have the resources to do both Abreu and the other things that both you and I care to do. The Abreu signing would have merely been Step One on the team re-claiming their legitimacy.

[jokin]

Well, almost by definition he's overpaid, in that only one team in 32 was willing to pay him that much. And while it's interesting that he chose a longer guaranteed deal over a shorter deal, I think there's a reason for that: service time. If he signs a 2-year deal, I think the club still owns his rights for four years and can offer him arbitration, etc., (or even keep him in the minors, giving him no service time.) Or at least all Cubans seem to go that route.

 

But you're absolutely right that we know essentially nothing about this guy. If he's a star, then 25+ teams, including the Twins, blew it. If he's a plodding DH who is mediocre, than the White Sox are tied to another long-term deal, which has been a weakness for them. And Cuban players haven't been a big strength either, I don't think. I can't remember any big breakthroughs there.

 

It sure would have made the offseason more interesting had the a Twins got him, though. I'd like to know why they weren't interested.

 

From MLB traderumors on Tuesday. It's now up to 8 teams that were in the running, with apparently 5 that were in it for the similar big dollars that he ultimately received, and curiously, the Sox familiarity with past Cubans and success with the organization was a significant factor:

 

 

1) "Also from the conference, Abreu himself stated (through his translator) that the history of Cuban players finding success in the White Sox organization was an important element for him in choosing to sign with the Sox.

2) Abreu's agent, Barry Praver, tells Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago that eight teams made offers to his client, and five of the offers hit $60+MM (Twitter link). It's already been reported that the Rockies were surprise contenders, offering $63MM over six years."

 

Minnesota Twins Rumors: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com