Jose Abreu a trade candidate? It doesn't seem likely, and here's why

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Welcome to the seemingly biannual conversation, when national writers suggest the White Sox might trade Jose Abreu for pieces that could help their ongoing rebuilding project.

Realistic or not, that conclusion isn’t difficult to jump to. Abreu, who at 32 is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2019 season, is a consistently great hitter playing on a team with a losing record that hasn’t made the postseason in more than a decade. That team has also spent the last several seasons stockpiling minor league talent as part of a rebuild with sights on producing a perennial contender. From that standpoint, dealing away Abreu to a contender makes sense.

But it also tends to ignore everything the White Sox have said about Abreu.

They could have traded Abreu when they traded Chris Sale and Adam Eaton in another deal that certainly would’ve netted a huge haul capable of powering the rebuild. They could have traded Abreu when they traded Jose Quintana, making two huge splashes ahead of the 2017 trade deadline. They could have traded Abreu while searching for talent in the offseason after that or at the deadline after that or in the offseason after that.

They didn’t. And that should say as much about their opinion of Abreu as anything. But we don’t have to read those decisions like tea leaves because the White Sox have shared their opinion of Abreu over and over again in recent seasons.

Simply put, they think the world of the guy. He’s constantly lauded as a model for younger players just reaching the major leagues. He’s been described as a mentor for those younger players, with Yoan Moncada’s locker right next to Abreu’s in the White Sox clubhouse. Eloy Jimenez is nearby, as well. It was Abreu who gave Luis Robert a tour around Guaranteed Rate Field when Robert signed with the team.

And let’s not forget what manager Rick Renteria shared this offseason: Abreu was present for the team’s meeting with free-agent superstar Manny Machado. For a team trying to sell potential outside acquisitions on a long and prosperous future, it would be a little odd for the player present for that pitch to be on his way out the door.

And that’s all without mentioning what he does on the field that makes him so valuable for this team. His consistency has been incredibly impressive. In 2017, he joined Joe DiMaggio and Albert Pujols as the only players ever to start their big league careers with four straight seasons of at least 25 home runs and at least 100 RBIs. Those numbers dipped in 2018, thanks to an uncharacteristically prolonged slump as well as a couple freak injuries at the end of the season. But through the first 34 games of the 2019 campaign, Abreu is off to a great start, the American League leader with 33 RBIs to go along with his eight home runs and .279/.349/.529 slash line.

All signs have pointed to a new contract for Abreu that will keep him what he’s said repeatedly he wants to be: a member of the White Sox for the rest of his career.

General manager Rick Hahn has said before that it’s possible the White Sox value Abreu more than other teams might, and so while no player might ever untouchable, the White Sox have perhaps held on to Abreu because they haven’t received an offer of a package that would match their value of Abreu. Given how important the White Sox think Abreu is to the development of some of their young stars of the future, that’s understandable.

The Athletic’s Jim Bowden, who did address how much the White Sox like what Abreu does off the field, suggested that Abreu’s value will never be higher and that if the White Sox are serious about contending next season, this might be one of few opportunities to assure that possibility. And that’s not a bad point.

While there figures to be a lot more talent at the big league level when next season begins than there is right now — Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, Zack Collins and maybe even younger guys like Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal — all those guys will be getting their early tastes of life in the big leagues. Kopech, who debuted last season, will make just his fifth major league appearance the next time he steps on the mound. Cease won’t have too many more appearances under his belt if he comes up later this summer. If Robert and Madrigal make the Opening Day roster, those are two guys who started the 2019 season at the Class A level. To see those players go through their own growing pains would not be at all unexpected.

And so, adding a player or two who could join that group and provide an even larger influx of talent going into 2020 might be a tough thing to pass up. But that’s only if that opportunity presents itself. Because having Abreu in the middle of that 2020 lineup would be a big positive, too.

That would necessitate a new contract, of course. But even though Hahn has said that it’s unlikely a contract extension would be handed out during the season, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t come quickly after.

Bowden listed the Rays, Nationals and Indians as good fits for Abreu. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand suggested the Red Sox, Twins, Astros and Rockies. That’s 23 percent of Major League Baseball, and it wouldn’t be surprising to suggest a host of others would benefit from Abreu’s bat getting injected into their lineup.

It’s also worth noting this possibility: The White Sox could trade Abreu and then re-sign him when he hits free agency after this season.

The White Sox could trade Abreu this summer, but it doesn’t seem likely. They value him so much on the field, in the lineup and in the clubhouse. If this is another season important to the development of certain players at the big league level, wouldn't Abreu being present be a big part of that? It seems like they would really have to be blown away by an offer — and heck, maybe they will be. But all along, all signs have pointed to Abreu staying on the South Side past the 2019 season, not leaving it before the 2019 season ends.

We'll have to wait to see what happens.

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