UPDATE: Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that the White Sox and Abreu have a deal, pending a physical. The two sides have agreed to a six-year, $68 million contract, confirming Rosenthal’s original report.
10:36 p.m. ET: Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports confirms that the Rangers will not sign Abreu. He also hears that the White Sox are the favorites.
9:32 p.m. ET: Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News hears that despite the Rangers’ interest, the White Sox are still expected to land Abreu.
9:15 p.m. ET: It’s not a done deal yet. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Rangers are “definitely making a push” for Abreu. While the White Sox are also in the mix, one source familiar with the negotiations tells Sullivan that Texas is expected to sign him. Stay tuned.
8:40 p.m. ET: FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that Cuban slugger Jose Abreu is close to finalizing terms on a six-year, $68 million contract. The 26-year-old is expected to land with the White Sox, confirming speculation from reports earlier today.
If true, this deal would be the richest first-time contract ever for an international player, topping Yu Darvish’s six-year, $56 million contract with the Rangers. And just to compare this with other high-profile players from Cuba, Yasiel Puig inked a seven-year, $42 million deal with the Dodgers last June while Yoenis Cespedes received a four-year, $36 million contract from the Athletics two offseasons ago.
Abreu might not be as dynamic as Puig or Cespedes, but he’s highly regarded for his power potential. Assuming the deal gets one, he’ll take over first base from Paul Konerko in Chicago.