I didn’t need to read this today.
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https://x.com/LiveSCS/status/1801309407352918409
I don’t know whether it’s a timetable for him not to be on the team anymore or for him to go back to hitting cleanup.
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This right here is the only issue that matters. They might or might not have other issues that would become more glaring, but this one blinds us to the others.
ETA – Perhaps I should clarify. We (& I) do see other problems – JAbreu, Bregman, Pressly, Framber, et al., but many of those could have been mitigated with better (or in some cases just less) usage. Espada has no cure.
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The Astros have released Jose Abreu.
Still somewhat surprising given the amount of money he’s owed, but the Astros just don’t have much choice. He played himself into that situation, unfortunately for him.
So, is a trade for a first baseman incoming or are they going to stick with Singleton mostly full-time with a little Dubon or Loperfido mixed in?
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A sad but necessary move.
Anyone coming to pile on him can just GTFO.
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Yeah, that should be insta-ban.
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There’s been a lot of chatter about them looking for a rental 1b, but I think you may see a trial by fire for Loperfido.
Wow. Expected but still somewhat surprising. Wish him the best of luck.
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I am sure some here are applauding and a small number are laughing. This is a sad day for me. I like the player as much as any fan can, and I hoped for his acquisition for years. He drove in 100 runs last year, but Father Time does not give a damn.
I respect Jose Abreu quite a lot, and I am proud he was an Astro.
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I think this tells us everything we need to know about the front office. They’re in desperation mode and have realized this season is on the brink of utter collapse.
This feels like too little too late unless they’re planning on pulling off some form of splash signing via trade, which seems pretty unlikely.
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Had to happen. The 1B situation had become a shadow over the season and they weren’t going to be able to move forward while Abreu was still around. I don’t think they’ll immediately get much better with the other 1B options they have, but nobody else was going to get a chance to succeed while Abreu was still getting starts.
I feel terrible for him and for the team that he wasn’t able to perform. I was excited when they signed him and have no standing to criticize the move. It just sucks all around.
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It’s sad that it didn’t work out for Abreu here, but I’m glad Dana Brown ripped the bandaid off, finally.
I’d hope they are giving Brandon Belt’s agents a call and getting Loperfido rapidly up to speed to play the position. If they trade for a rental like Goldschmidt or Alonso, it better be at a reasonable cost.
I also wonder if they might consider Harold Ramirez, who the Rays just released, and create a platoon with him and Singleton. Ramirez historically hits lefties well.
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As to why people still hold him in high regard despite his struggles, this excerpt from a Chandler Rome article (which he just re-posted) says it all:
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Agreed. They weren’t proactive enough in initially removing Abreu from the lineup and waited too long to finally move on for good.
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I wish JA the best of luck. Seemed like he was a good teammate. He just underperformed severely as an Astro (based on his prior history and pay). I was a big fan of his signing and was too harsh on him when he didn’t work out. I’m switching my rage to Jeff Bagwell. 
Hopefully JA still has some years in the tank and make another MLB team (not the Rangers).
I certainly didn’t put him up to it, but I appreciate Devin’s kind words. Thanks Cuz. As Forrest Gump said, “Sorry if I ruined your black panther party.”
Devin is legit one of the smartest dudes I’ve ever known. He was like writing his own novels at like the age of six or some shit. He warned me about posters on this board and politely suggested I refrain from opening my mouth (keyboard). As you witnessed, I didn’t heed his advice.
I will post dumb things, it’s what I do from time to time unfortunately. But I will all take all the licks and beat downs that go along with it. Because at the end of the day none of this matters and is just a way to kill time.
Good luck Mr. Abreu.
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I somewhat disagree with that, but mostly you’re on point.
Were it not for Bregman being fucking dreadful until June, Yordan going totally in the tank in May, and the cavalcade of how shitty the bullpen (but mostly Pressly) has been, they SHOULD’VE had time to figure out what to do with Abreu. All of the other mitigating factors of the club sucking ass really brought a major focus to how awful Abreu was because he wasn’t producing at all, and the other big guns were mostly not doing shit either.
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I mostly just feel bad for the guy. Father time is undefeated, but he doesn’t usually crush a guy so fast.
By all accounts, Abreu is a good dude, and that should not be forgotten.
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Spot on. The other unexpected issues exacerbated Abreu’s struggles because they needed production from others in the lineup to make up for Bregman and Alvarez struggling, and the high-priced bullpen’s failures to hold leads didn’t provide wiggle room in the standings to be patient with the situation.
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I really hope they’re not going to do something silly like Léon for 3 1/2 months of Alonso.
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I’m not arguing whether the Astros should trade for Alonso, but do we really consider Pedro Leon to be an integral part of the Astros’ future?
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