Giants Don't Get a Power Boost: Jose Abreu Signs with the White Sox

Jose Abreu will not be wearing Orange and Black next year.

Well now what...

In my offseason predictions I predicted (or maybe just very badly wanted) the Giants to sign Jose Abreu to fill in the hole in the Giants lineup and perhaps give them a power boost in the middle of the lineup.

Abreu was marketed as a not so athletic Yasiel Puig, who would be relegated to first base duties, but could smash the ball maybe even harder than Puig.  His closest major league comparison was a young Ryan Howard.  If the Giants got a young Ryan Howard, they would open up AT&T Park just so Brandon Belt could get a head start shagging balls in left field.

But the Giants didn't get Abreu, the White Sox did, and boy did they ever.  Six years, $68 MILLION DOLLARS.  Let that sink in.  In comparison, his Cuban counterpart Yasiel Puig got 7 years $47 million and there's no guarantee that Abreu is better than Puig.  The only reason Abreu got this kind of cash is that he is the only "affordable" power option in this free agent market.


Of the 3 major players who hit for power and were even remotely attractive, Hunter Pence was one of them and the Giants already signed him!  The other two are Carlos Beltran and Robinson Cano.

And of those 2 only Beltran is a realistic option.  Cano is being represented by Jay-Z and Hova apparently has started negotiations with the Yankees asking for a 10 year $305 million extension...

...(pause for dramatic effect)...

...$305 MILLION (Oh I did that already)...  You get the point.  The Giants are not going to pay a 30 year old that kind of money until he's 40.  Sure that might just be his jumping off point, but I think it's done enough to scare the Giants from even kicking the tires on Cano.

Beltran on the other hand is 36 years old and for at least 2 years could provide the Giants with the type of middle of the order help they need while filling in a big hole in the lineup.  Also he can't be possibly asking for much of a raise at his age and he made $13 million this year.

The problem is that if Beltran receives a $14 million qualifying offer from the Cardinals it makes acquiring him much harder as the Giants would have to give up a compensatory pick to the Cardinals so that they can stock up on another fireball throwing arm.

Still, there really aren't any other options with the bats, the Giants could simply go the other way and go after Masahiro Tanaka, the next big time Japanese pitcher, but that's even more money.

But wait if the cheapest we go is Beltran and he's at least $14 million a year... this all comes back to Abreu.

The White Sox paid the 26 year old Abreu, $68 million for 6 years which comes out to $11.33 million a year.  Wait that doesn't sound that bad at all if he pans out.  IF... *sigh* lets just sign Beltran...

Laws of the Day

In 2013, Giants' left fielders hit a combined .257 and 5 home runs.

Beltran hit .296 with 24 home runs.

If the Giants hit19 more home runs last year, the Giants would've been 27th in the league in home runs rather than 29th... woot!