Hey I don't really have any desire for the guy. But if my Sox want to go balls in cool. I just would like for once my team to get some awesome ass superstar in one of these pick ups. Just once.

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Elections have consequences.

Sounds like its a done deal. 6 years and 68 mil.

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Hey if he is hitting 35 homers and replaces Konerko THIS YEAR that is low market value.

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Elections have consequences.

I just don't understand how he is worth 26 mil more than Puig over the same years when he has none of Puig's athleticism and is older.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Rangers, IMO.

I have no idea how often he is correct but Rosenthal says the deal is likely with the White Sox.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

"My guy" just says not so fast. Certainly not done yet. Rangers still in it.

The Redskin janitor is monitoring baseball deals now?

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Knobler or whatever on CBS sports page says White Sox as well. Kenny was probably busy behind the scenes.

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Elections have consequences.

He's still a scout for the Skins. This is another friend.

TR Sullivan agrees that the Rangers indeed in play.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Still a chance the Sox get him. It's just not done.

I think he's supposed to hit more than Puig.

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The Court will accord substantial deference to the government's immigration policies, particularly those that implicate matters of national security.

I am reading that he has more power but minus the speed and defense. He sounds about as useful as Dunn in the field. There are mixed reports on his bat speed. I am not sure about his contact.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

You don't really know about any of these guys. It didn't tale long before they developed a book on Cespedes. You can see they have Puig figured out to where he's probably going to be a .260-.275 guy. Like I said, Abreu is acknowledged as a one tool guy. If you're paying that money, you'd better hope it's one hell of a tool.

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The Court will accord substantial deference to the government's immigration policies, particularly those that implicate matters of national security.

The other thing is, I think his money isn't subject to the international limits the way Puig's was because of his age.

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The Court will accord substantial deference to the government's immigration policies, particularly those that implicate matters of national security.

The Rangers are out.............but.............there is an 11th hour mystery team!!!!

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Kane County Cougars!

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The Court will accord substantial deference to the government's immigration policies, particularly those that implicate matters of national security.

GO CRAZY!

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Looks like a done deal.

Big risk (68M) but potential big reward. He is supposed to be a fucking monster with the bat.

Abreu is nothing like Cespedes, Puig or Soler. He is a legitimate baseball player who played on the Cuban National team and in the World Baseball Classic. Those other three are just kids who went into a Cuban "Training Facility" and came out science experiments. That's why they have no idea how to play the game of baseball.

Abreu has been heavily scouted and has over 300 AB's outside of Cuba. He's as known a comodity as there has ever been coming out of Cuba. Pay that man his money.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/internat ... s-to-deal/

Jose Abreu Agrees To Deal With White Sox
October 18, 2013 by Ben Badler

Cuban first baseman Jose Abreu has agreed to sign with the White Sox for a major league contract of six years and $68 million, according to reports from Fox Sports and MLB.com.

International sources had pegged the White Sox as one of the most likely landing spots for Abreu, who fills a need for the club at first base and fits with the organization’s history of coveting power bats in the draft, trade and international markets. The White Sox, who have had success with Cubans from Jose Contreras to Alexei Ramirez to Dayan Viciedo, were also one of the teams with the strongest presence at Abreu’s open showcases in the Dominican Republic a few weeks ago, with executive vice president Ken Williams in attendance.

Abreu, a 26-year-old righthanded hitter, was one the premier offensive force in Cuba, where he posted dominant numbers playing for Cienfuegos in Cuba’s top league, Serie Nacional, and starred on the country’s national team. Abreu, like Yoenis Cespedes did when he signed with the Athletics last year, is expected to begin his career in the major leagues.

At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, Abreu’s strength helps him generate raw power that earns grades of 70 to 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale, by far his best tool. He’s an intelligent hitter who can hit the ball out of the park to all fields when he gets his arms extended or when pitchers make a mistake with an offspeed pitch over the plate.

While Abreu’s power is unquestioned, the scouting community is split over whether his power will translate against major league pitching. Some scouts consider his bat speed to be only average at best, which combined with the way his hitting mechanics have him crowd the plate and cut himself off, has left him vulnerable to good fastballs on the inner third of the plate. Some scouts have also noted a tendency to chase hard sliders off the plate.

Abreu lacks the athleticism of recent Cuban stars like Cespedes and Yasiel Puig (his former teammate in Cuba), so his value is heavily centered on his power-hitting potential. He has solid hands and an average arm at first base.

Unlike Puig when he arrived in Mexico last year and quickly signed with the Dodgers, Abreu, like Cespedes, is a player scouts know extremely well. Abreu has been a staple on the Cuban national team, racking up around 300 plate appearances outside of Cuba over the last three years that scouts have been able to see in person, including the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Teams also have access to video and performance data from Abreu’s career in Cuba, where his numbers were startling even by the league’s lofty offensive standards.

This past year in a Serie Nacional season split into two halves, Abreu hit .382/.636/.735 with 13 home runs in 42 games in the first half with nearly twice as many walks (37) as strikeouts (21). In the first half of the season he led the league in on-base percentage, slugging, OPS and home runs while ranking second in batting average. He hit .305/.414/.492 with six homers in 23 games in the second half.

In 2011-12, Abreu hit .394/.542/.837 with 35 home runs, 75 walks and 40 strikeouts in 71 games, leading the league in batting average, OBP, slugging and OPS, although Alfredo Despaigne won the MVP award.

Abreu was the MVP in 2010-11, when he hit .453/.597/.986 with 33 home runs, 58 walks and 32 strikeouts in just 293 plate appearances despite missing 23 games due to bursitis in his shoulder. His home runs were tied for the league lead with Cespedes, even though Abreu had 122 fewer plate appearances. It was the second straight season Abreu led the league in OBP, slugging and OPS, as he hit .399/.555/.822 with 30 home runs, 74 walks and 49 strikeouts in 82 games in 2009-10, although Despaigne won MVP honors that year as well.

Abreu left Cuba in August and is claiming permanent residency in Haiti. He has been cleared by both Major League Baseball and the U.S. government to sign after receiving his specific license from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Since Abreu is at least 23 and has played in Serie Nacional since the 2003-04 season, his signing isn’t subject to the international bonus pools. Abreu is represented by Bart Hernandez and Praver Shapiro Sports Management.

I had no idea that Puig and Cespedes were not legitimate bseball players. Good for Kenny for being smarter than every other team in the league and getting this legitimate player.

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Hey look, umn is crapping all over something the White Sox have done! I thought Sox only did that to the Cubs?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

No, he isn't. El Duque and Contreras were certainly known commodities. And Cespedes played in the same league as Abreu and hit pretty well himself. Obviously, I hope Abreu comes over here and hits like a demon, but to act like there's no risk at all is crazy.

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The Court will accord substantial deference to the government's immigration policies, particularly those that implicate matters of national security.

Let the record show, this is more than Ive ever said about Soler

True but it was in response to this:

abreu is nothing like Cespedes, Puig or Soler. He is a legitimate baseball player who played on the Cuban National team and in the World Baseball Classic. Those other three are just kids who went into a Cuban "Training Facility" and came out science experiments. That's why they have no idea how to play the game of baseball.

11 million a year is not THAT much

Good deal. I bet he hits 30 homers

I agree. I think his upside might be to replace Konerko. That's pretty damn good. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for him to be Cabrera or like Chris Davis was this season.

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The Court will accord substantial deference to the government's immigration policies, particularly those that implicate matters of national security.

He was bashing the deal before that too. He made reference that he is probably already old, and how much money that is, and even compared him to Adam Dunn.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!