beck72 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 A Cuban 1b/ DH has defected and may be an unrestricted free agent this year. Jose Dariel Abreu supposedly would be in line for the highest contract given to a Cuban Free agent. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/08/jose...-from-cuba.html The Sox would have to be one of the main teams going after him. With the need, the money, the fellow countrymen, the city. His signing would fill a key hole. Would the Sox "overpay" for him? The sox have put themselves in the position to get him very nicely. For who else is on the free agent market, I'd say the risk would be well worth it. Esp. as the sox have 1b and DH open for him, with Dunn leaving after 2014. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PolishPrince34 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Their will be a big bidding war on Abreu. Going have to throw $50+ million to be in this game. I don't see the Sox organization playing ball when it comes to that kind of money with the unknown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldsox Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 It still blows my mind that MLB allows these guys to be free agents with this kind of bidding war. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quin Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 If they somehow get rid of Dunn and Danks, they will have a whopping $18M committed to 2014 (not counting arbitration, rookie deals, or extensions). I'd talk to Alexei and Dayan and see what they think about Abreu and try to use them in a sales pitch. The Sox need a marketable bat and a 1B, so it seems like it'd be a perfect fit. Just how much money do you risk on it if you're the Sox? Higher than Puig? Is it worth the risk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago White Sox Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 If our scouts believe this guy is for real, I don't see any reason why Hahn wouldn't go all out for him. We need impact bats, we have a giant hole at 1B, and you're not going to find 26-27 year old free agents anytime soon. Plus we have Viciedo and possibly Ramirez that can sell him on playing for the White Sox. Honestly, unless the price is ridiculous, I hope we make a strong play for this guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabiness42 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 If the Sox are going to offer this guy anything, he better damn well walk more than our other two Cubans combined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Wasn't Jose Abreu the guy who was supposed to make Puig look like crap? Cuba was supposed to have one legendary ballplayer left and I think that was his name. What are the rules here, how would we have to do this? Does he fall under the international signing caps? Do we basically get "him and no other international signings for 2 years" if we offer him big money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eminor3rd Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 08:09 AM) Wasn't Jose Abreu the guy who was supposed to make Puig look like crap? Cuba was supposed to have one legendary ballplayer left and I think that was his name. What are the rules here, how would we have to do this? Does he fall under the international signing caps? Do we basically get "him and no other international signings for 2 years" if we offer him big money? He's older than 23, so there would be no restrictions. This is the guy that has all of the Cuban homerun records and stuff. Got a lot of press when Cespedes defected because every time someone wanted to make a claim about Cespedes' monster numbers, it was alwways "and he has the most xxxxxxx of any player in Cuba (except Abreu)!!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witesoxfan Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 06:39 AM) If the Sox are going to offer this guy anything, he better damn well walk more than our other two Cubans combined. Ramirez has been just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 09:14 AM) He's older than 23, so there would be no restrictions. This is the guy that has all of the Cuban homerun records and stuff. Got a lot of press when Cespedes defected because every time someone wanted to make a claim about Cespedes' monster numbers, it was alwways "and he has the most xxxxxxx of any player in Cuba (except Abreu)!!!" And he plays 1b? And is still in his prime years? Ok, yeah, I'm in for 7/$60 and you can put me down as switching from the "Sign Morales" camp to the "Sign Abreu" camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macsandz Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (beck72 @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 06:06 AM) A Cuban 1b/ DH has defected and may be an unrestricted free agent this year. Jose Dariel Abreu supposedly would be in line for the highest contract given to a Cuban Free agent. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/08/jose...-from-cuba.html The Sox would have to be one of the main teams going after him. With the need, the money, the fellow countrymen, the city. His signing would fill a key hole. Would the Sox "overpay" for him? The sox have put themselves in the position to get him very nicely. For who else is on the free agent market, I'd say the risk would be well worth it. Esp. as the sox have 1b and DH open for him, with Dunn leaving after 2014. http://bit.ly/11Y7Pbw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royoung Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (PolishPrince34 @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 06:12 AM) Their will be a big bidding war on Abreu. Going have to throw $50+ million to be in this game. I don't see the Sox organization playing ball when it comes to that kind of money with the unknown. We were in it until the end for Soler apparently. And that was before we shed 27 million dollars towards our 2014 payroll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (oldsox @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 06:25 AM) It still blows my mind that MLB allows these guys to be free agents with this kind of bidding war. It has gotten better with the age requirements, but there are still a couple of holes that need closing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (southside hitman @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 09:45 AM) We were in it until the end for Soler apparently. And that was before we shed 27 million dollars towards our 2014 payroll. This really does have the White Sox written all over it. He even literally plays a position where we need someone. The only reason to not do this is if the scouts think he's inherently flawed or too far behind since he hasn't yet faced MLB pitching regularly. I could understand that. Otherwise...this would be the kind of aggressive bet I'd love to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (beck72 @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 06:06 AM) A Cuban 1b/ DH has defected and may be an unrestricted free agent this year. Jose Dariel Abreu supposedly would be in line for the highest contract given to a Cuban Free agent. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/08/jose...-from-cuba.html The Sox would have to be one of the main teams going after him. With the need, the money, the fellow countrymen, the city. His signing would fill a key hole. Would the Sox "overpay" for him? The sox have put themselves in the position to get him very nicely. For who else is on the free agent market, I'd say the risk would be well worth it. Esp. as the sox have 1b and DH open for him, with Dunn leaving after 2014. Well Hahn has said that this money is going to go towards international signings and the like. I wonder if this is the guy on his mind. Getting a legit 30-40 homer guy for 1B would be one way to remake this line up in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harfman77 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (southside hitman @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 08:45 AM) We were in it until the end for Soler apparently. And that was before we shed 27 million dollars towards our 2014 payroll. Sox were after Puig too, but were blown away by the Dodgers offer like everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harfman77 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 The issue for the White Sox will be the number of years. JR is not a fan of long term deals, especially for unknown players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 08:58 AM) The issue for the White Sox will be the number of years. JR is not a fan of long term deals, especially for unknown players. More so for pitchers versus hitters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleHurt05 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 The Cuban league isn't the same obviously, but this guy is putting up numbers better than Barry Bonds massive seasons. Over a 1.500 OPS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmags Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I'm all for going all out for this hitter. I don't want a 5 year rebuild I'd like to make a major step in 2015 and be back to full speed for 2016 and this guy should be in his prime for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (bmags @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 09:23 AM) I'm all for going all out for this hitter. I don't want a 5 year rebuild I'd like to make a major step in 2015 and be back to full speed for 2016 and this guy should be in his prime for that. Getting a guy that is basically Paul Konerko (without knowing really anything about him other than Cuban stats) would go a long way towards "rebuilding" Any word on who Abreau's agent is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harfman77 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 09:39 AM) Getting a guy that is basically Paul Konerko (without knowing really anything about him other than Cuban stats) would go a long way towards "rebuilding" Any word on who Abreau's agent is? Sounds like he hasn't settled on one yet. This is all still pretty fresh. He probably wont be able to sign until close to spring training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Aug 12, 2013 -> 09:40 AM) Sounds like he hasn't settled on one yet. This is all still pretty fresh. He probably wont be able to sign until close to spring training. If he can settle on Torres, that would go a long way towards helping the Sox chances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtySox Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 (edited) A much better alternative to Choo/McCann etc that probably aren't realistic targets anyways. If you are going to drop some cash, do it for a guy who is in his prime who fits an immediate need. Even if there is an acclimation period, you would pencil him into the core of the White Sox when they are hoping to contend in 2015+. Go for it. Edited August 12, 2013 by DirtySox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eminor3rd Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 This makes almost too much sense on paper, given the Sox clear need for offense, a first baseman, players that will be able to contribute for the next 5 years, and something to get the payroll over $50m. That said, there's no precedent for them going after a guy like this, so I wouldn't be surprised if we don't even have a chance on him. I hope we do though. Something like 6/60 would be the richest deal to one of these guys by far, and even if he was a AAAA hitter, the $10m per year wouldn't kill you. This is a good fit, methinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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