The Houston Astros had to make a tough decision on Friday.
After signing first baseman Jose Abreu to a three-year, $58.3 million contract before the start of the 2023 season, the team released the former star on Friday.
It was certainly shocking for some, but from a performance standpoint, it’s evident that he doesn’t belong in MLB at the moment.
The most painful development for the Astros is that they will have to eat approximately $30 million left on Abreu’s contract.
Fans reacted to the news on Twitter.
There were some hilarious replies:
Jose Abreu and his agent collecting $30 million while being released:pic.twitter.com/gq9w2f3rRX
batting .124? I bet if the Dodgers picked him up he would be batting 300 after about a week.
Smart man. Doesn’t have to work now & still gets $30 mil pic.twitter.com/CUZD2SbsG3
And others in a more serious tone.
Some wondered what happened to him performance-wise:
This gotta be the weirdest thing ever.
Dude went from the CWS and killed it, to the Astros org which is known to get a lot out of players and sucked
History
While others took a minute to appreciate the excellent career Abreu has had, no matter what lies ahead for him:
Feels like the end of the road for Jose Abreu. Great career in Chicago after coming over from Cuba. As consistent as they come in those years
The 2023 season was bad for him (.680 OPS) and 2024 has been even worse, with a .124/.167/.195 line and a .361 OPS.
At 37 years old, it’s likely that we have seen the last of Abreu as an above-average or even league-average offensive performer.
He might not be done as a major leaguer, though: there could be news in the upcoming days on that front.
Even if he decides to retire, he should do it with no regrets.
He is a former MVP award winner and was one of the American League’s premier sluggers over the course of a long, fruitful career.
Abreu is a career .283/.345/.488 hitter with a .833 OPS, 263 home runs, and 960 RBI.
Considering he entered the league at 27 years old, that’s an excellent outcome right there.
He just wasn’t good enough to be an Astro anymore, and the team is absorbing the losses.