White Sox Sign Jose Abreu to Three-Year, $50 Million Contract
The White Sox have signed first baseman Jose Abreu to a three-year, $50 million contract, the club announced on Friday.
The deal includes a $5 million signing bonus, and Abreu is set to earn $11 million in 2020. His new contract comes after he accepted Chicago's one-year, $17.8 million qualifying offer last week. After the move, it was expected that the two sides would agree to a long-term deal. Abreu's new contract replaces the qualifying offer.
In 2019, Abreu hit .284 with 33 home runs and an American League-leading 123 RBI in 159 games. The 32-year-old first baseman has spent all six seasons of his major league career with the White Sox. He put together a strong rookie campaign in 2014 and went on to earn the AL Rookie of the Year award, his first All-Star nod and his first Silver Slugger award.
"From the moment he stepped into the major leagues, José Abreu has been a leader on the field and in the clubhouse," White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. "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."
Abreu's new contract comes one day after the White Sox signed top free-agent catcher Yasmani Grandal to a four-year, $73 million deal. Chicago will pay Grandal $18.25 million annually, a pay raise from the $16 million he made in 2019 with the Brewers. Grandal declined a mutual option from Milwaukee for the upcoming season in the hopes of landing the long-term deal he eventually received from Chicago.