White Sox Make Offer to Abreu?

For the most part, this has been a very quiet winter for the Chicago White Sox. Instead of filling in some holes via free agency in an effort to remain atop the AL Central, they've taken the approach of cutting salary everywhere they could, sending Nick Swisher to the Yankees for prospects and Javier Vazquez to Atlanta.

Of course, they weren't shedding payroll to add players now. They were saving money due to a bad economic climate and because they have a lot of players who are likely to garner big raises next season in arbitration. Then why did they put in a contract offer of one year and $8 million to Bobby Abreu?

Ex-Yankee Bobby Abreu was offered a one-year deal worth $8 million from the White Sox, the Daily News has learned. Abreu made $16 million as the Bombers' starting right fielder last season. He anticipated being able to sign a three-year deal as a free agent this offseason but has mostly received only one-year offers.

Unfortunately the New York Daily News report doesn't specify when the contract was offered. Though logic tells me that if the White Sox showed any interest in Abreu it was a few months back. To sign him now would mean that the team would have to move either Jermaine Dye or Jim Thome to make room for him, and Kenny Williams had been trying to move Dye earlier this winter.

Plus, with the market for Abreu being what it is, if somebody came around an offered him $8 million for 2009 right now I don't think there's any way he turns it down.

(Hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors)

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