The 5 – Trade Jose Abreu

“But you know what the best part of my day is? It’s for about ten seconds from when I pull up to the curb to when I get to your door. Because I think maybe I’ll get up there and I’ll knock on the door and you won’t be there. No goodbye, no see you later, no nothin’. Just left. I don’t know much, but I know that.” – Chuckie Sullivan (Good Will Hunting)

All of us get sad or sentimental about loss, it’s a human condition, it cannot be avoided.  Some folks try to ignore it, or try to pretend like it doesn’t matter, but we all know that it does and it affects us in a variety of ways.  I don’t want the White Sox to trade Jose Abreu.  You don’t want the White Sox to trade Jose Abreu, but it has to be done, and if not now, soon, otherwise we are going to regret it.  YOU HEAR ME @NotRickHahn!!!???!!!????!!!!  That’s why today, I bring you, “THE 5 – Trade Jose Abreu”.

5. Peak Value 

Whether we want to admit this or not, every day that Jose Abreu doesn’t get traded, the more his trade value depreciates.  It’s a fact.  We absolutely destroy the Orioles for hanging on to Manny Machado as his trade value depreciates by the day, but Our Lord and Savior Rick Hahn seems to be immune to said criticism.  We know there is a limited market for Abreu, you aren’t getting a Sale or Quintana return, this is a corner infielder.  If you get the Frazier / Kahnle / Robertson blob return for Abreu that should be enough, given the limited market place.

4. Relationship with team allows for no issue in resigning him in free agency

From everything I’m hearing, remember, we are fans we aren’t in the lockerroom ($1 Mike Murphy) Jose Abreu’s great relationship with the ball club is what is allowing the White Sox to let this play out and to not have extended him already to a deal that covers some competitive years.  If that’s the case, then what’s the big fucking hold up to trading him to some current contender?  Let old Pito play in the playoffs for a season or two, then he can come back here, older and wiser for the contending seasons.

3. My Loins Yearn for more Daniel Palka playing time

Danny Palka Smashing HR

This is no secret to yous, the dozens of loyal readers of the @fromthe108 twitter and blog.  I fucking LOVE Daniel Palka.  My favorite moment of the season so far is his pinch hit HR versus the Brewers last weekend.  He absolutely smashed that fucking ball.  He absolutely fucking smashes A LOT of balls and that is why he needs to be in the lineup nearly every day.  This sort of reminds me of the movie “Moneyball” where Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) has to trade away a few of his better players in order to get guys in the lineup that he wants playing.  That’s right, Daniel Palka is this rebuild’s Scott Hatteberg and goddamnit if we can’t find some way to get his arse into the lineup.

2. Yoan Moncada no longer needs him as a mentor

I know this was a great feel good story at the beginning of the Moncada / White Sox courtship, how they had Jose Abreu in tow to help the kid adjust to the big leagues.  There was even that cute video of two grown men (Abreu and Moncada) crushing an entire table full of Cuban food.  So sweet.  But let’s get real, at some point, the legend from your childhood needs to move aside and you need to become the MANG ($1 Ozzie Guillen)!  That time could be now for Moncada.  This kid already knows all the important lessons that a Jose Abreu could teach him (except for eating too many Twinkies, you know, because YOLO!), so why not get this over with?  Oh, and the 108ers will gladly order him in some Cuban food if that sweetens the deal.

1. Furthers the agenda of the rebuild

“BeefLoaf, you aren’t being patient, you don’t understand the rebuild….yada, yada, yada” all you mufuckas on twitter tryna tell me how to fan, tryna tell me how a rebuild works, should LURVE a move like this.  Trading Jose Abreu furthers the rebuild in a way that keeping him most certainly does not.  That’s what you want right?  It’s true.  Keeping Jose Abreu and offering him the qualifying offer at the end of 2019 won’t secure better goods for the rebuild than trading him now will….it just won’t.  PLUS, if your belief is that the White Sox will resign Jose Abreu, then this is a total freeroll.  Boy that sounds great.  This makes sense intellectually, I’m just trying to make it make sense for you emotionally as well.  I’m trying to make us all like Chuckie Sullivan.