Ho! Ho! Jose!

Visits: 8

It appears Christmas is coming early for the 2022 World Champion Houston Astros fans this year as the team officially announced, via Twitter, that they have signed former White Sox 1B Jose Abreu. The three year contract, worth an estimated $19.5 million per year ($58.5 million total), adds another potent bat to this already terrifying Astros lineup. The 3x All Star, 2014 American League Rookie of the Year & 2020 AL MVP has spent all nine seasons of his career in Chicago but will be 36 years old by the time opening day arrives and is coming off a career low in home runs (15). That’s not to say the 6’3 right handed hitting aficionado had a down year by any means. Although the home run power was lower than normal, Abreu still put together a great season with a .304 average and a .378 on base percentage, 40 doubles, 85 runs scored & 75 RBIs leading to a 4.2 WAR while playing in 157 games.

               With Abreu now in the fold, it looks like the end of the Yuli Gurriel chapter in Houston. During his seven seasons with the Astros, Gurriel was key contributor of 6 playoff teams, 4 World Series teams and holds 2 championship rings. A career .284 hitter with a 13.4 WAR, he had his best season in 2019 hitting .298 with 31 HRs and 104 RBIs. That was the year he helped push the Astros to the World Series against the Washington Nationals, losing the series in 7 games. In Game 7, Gurriel hit an epic solo shot off Max Scherzer in the bottom of the 2^nd inning to give the Astros the lead which they would hold until losing it in the top of the 7^th.