Chicago White Sox: Jose Abreu Wants To Stay In Chicago

The Chicago White Sox are a franchise loaded with young talent, but it may be in their best interest to keep their one true veteran.

The Chicago White Sox are loaded with young talent. They did a true rebuild and stripped the roster to the bare bone. Every player in the organization that had any value was shipped out for a prospect return except for one guy. That guy is Jose Abreu. They kept him around and that speaks volumes of what they believe he has done and will continue to do.

It would almost be unfair to Abreu to let him go now because he has been such a good player for this team and hasn’t gotten to be there for any good moments. He had to come in and replace Paul Konerko which wasn’t an easy thing to do and he has been nothing but a professional since arriving on the scene.

He is nearing the end of his current contract so the White Sox are going to have to make a decision. He is currently in his age 32 season but he got off to a later start in the big leagues as he was a 27-year-old rookie. He is an old man compared to the likes of Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, and Eloy Jimenez amongst others.

He is showing no signs of slowing down, however. In 2019 he has 21 home runs, 66 RBI’s, and a slash line of .278/.316/.522 on 96 hits. Those 66 RBIs are second in the American League in the only player with more is some guy named Mike Trout, who has 67. This is turning into a banner year for Jose Abreu.

The talk of his contract came up over the All-Star break and he gave some quotes that should make White Sox fans feel really good. He truly wants to be a White Sox player forever because he believes in what this team is doing. How can you not want him with what he has done for this team during his time with them?

“I think my desire to stay with this team is getting bigger every day, after every game. We are good, and we’re going to be very, very good. For me, there’s no secret. I want to be here”“We’re going to be very good. If the White Sox don’t sign me. I’m going to sign here anyway. I’m going to sign myself here. I’m going to be here, believe me, I don’t want to miss this. I don’t want to miss what is coming”

These quotes should make anybody that loves this team want to run through a wall. They came from media availability at the All-Star Game in Cleveland, and they show how much Abreu wants to be with the Chicago White Sox. He believes in the rebuild and that this team is going to be very good very soon.

Hopefully, general manager Rick Hahn can make this happen and get Abreu locked up to come along for the ride. Even once he starts to decline, he will no longer need to be the main bat in this lineup. He has more support than he ever has in his career, and it shows in his RBI numbers. He has way more opportunity now than in years past to drive in runs. He has more plate appearances with runners in scoring position than he has ever had. He has a real chance to shatter his career-high RBI total of 107.

The young players in the clubhouse really look up to him and he provides a strong voice for them as well. They can all use his experience to grow their own talents and get to where they need to be. It would be so awesome to see this plan work out with Abreu there to see it through.