White Sox and José Abreu agree to terms on three-year, $50 million contract
CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox have agreed to terms on a three-year, $50-million contract with All-Star first baseman José Abreu. Under terms of the agreement, Abreu will receive a $5-million signing bonus, $11 million in 2020, $16 million in 2021 and $18 million in 2022 with $4 million deferred.
Abreu, 32, batted .284 (180-634) with 38 doubles, 33 home runs, a career-high 123 RBI, 85 runs scored and a .503 slugging percentage over 159 games in 2019, his sixth season with the White Sox. He led the American League in RBI, joining Dick Allen (113 in 1972) as the only players in franchise history to accomplish the feat, and was named to his third AL All-Star Team.
Abreu’s 123 RBI were the 10th-highest total in Sox history and the most since Magglio Ordóñez in 2002 (135). He recorded his fourth career season of 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBI, joining Frank Thomas (eight) Paul Konerko (five) and Ordóñez (four) as the only players in franchise history to reach those numbers.
“From the moment he stepped into the major leagues, José Abreu has been a leader on the field and in the clubhouse,” said Rick Hahn, White Sox general manager. “He has consistently delivered run production at a historic pace, and with each passing season, his leadership role within our clubhouse – with both American-born and Latin-American players – has repeatedly grown.
“It’s certainly no surprise that both José and the White Sox were comfortable with a multiyear commitment moving forward, and we are happy to announce today’s agreement. José is proud to be a member of the White Sox, and we certainly are pleased to have him returning to our clubhouse as our team takes the next important steps in its development.”
“I have to give a special thank you to Jerry Reinsdorf and all the people involved with the White Sox who made this possible. This is a dream come true for me and my family,” said Abreu. “To the fans, I told you I would come back. I never doubted it. Everybody knows the group of talented players that we have, and I want to help guide them and together make the Chicago White Sox a championship team.”
The Cuban-born Abreu, a three-time AL All-Star, is a career .293/.349/.513 (1,038-3,547) hitter with 218 doubles, 179 homers, 611 RBI and 483 runs scored in 901 games over six seasons with the White Sox after signing with the club as a free agent on October 29, 2013.
He ranks third in franchise history in slugging percentage, sixth in home runs, ninth in extra-base hits, 13th in RBI and 15th in total bases (1,821). Abreu is the only player in White Sox history to record 20-plus homers and 30-plus doubles in each of his first six seasons, and his five seasons with 100 or more RBI rank third in club history behind Thomas (10) and Konerko (six).
Since entering the league in 2014, he leads all AL players in games played (901) and ranks among the leaders in hits (2nd), extra-base hits (2nd, 411), total bases (3rd, 1,821), RBI (3rd), doubles (4th) and homers (4th). Abreu and Colorado’s Nolan Arenado are the only players in the major leagues to record 30-plus doubles in each of the last six seasons.