The Astros signed first baseman José Abreu to a three-year. $58.5 million contract as their major offseason acquisition for 2023.
So far, it's not working out all that well.
Abreu, now 36 and previously known for his power, has watched his power numbers dip tremendously so far this season. He's yet to hit a home run in 119 at-bats and his expected slugging percentage ranks in the bottom 23rd percentile, according to Statcast.
Abreu's average exit velocity ranks in the bottom 26th percentile and hard-hit percentage is in the bottom 36th percentile. Then consider his walk rate at just 3.2 percent, ranking in the bottom sixth percentile of the league. It's just all bad.
We're talking about a career .501 slugging percentage reduced to .269 slugging so far this season, and it seems to be on track with his decline last year in the final season with the Chicago White Sox (career-low .446 slugging).
With all of that considered, Sean Pendergast posed an interesting poll question on Twitter: How much runway does Jose Abreu get before we call the signing a bust?