Sox Offer $8 Million to Bobby Abreu

The White Sox have had a quiet offseason, but today is less quiet: According to the New York Daily News, they've offered former Yankees outfielder Bobby Abreu a one-year, $8 million contract.

Plenty of questions here, so let's go in order:

1. Is Abreu worth it? Yes, he is. At $8 million a year and with no long-term commitment, the Sox would be getting a steal in Abreu, who not only was paid $16 million during his time with the Yankees but who went in to free agency with far greater hopes than the offers he's received. Some rumors have had Abreu's offers as low as $5 million, thanks both to the economy, to the market for free agent talent, and to the perception that Abreu's abilities have declined of late.

2. Should Abreu take the deal? Um, yeah. He should.

3. Why? Because the offers for his services aren't getting any larger, and the White Sox offer the potential of playing in the outfield, which he seems to want to do. (For the record, the Sox would be better of not playing him in the outfield -- Abreu's defense has gone horrible in the past few years, though his bat is still of some quality -- but as the Sox have both Paul Konerko and Jim Thome to fill their "can't play a lick of defense so must DH" quotient, it's likely Abreu will line up in the field.)

4. But what about Adam Dunn? Good question. Dunn's recent offensive production has been better than Abreu's -- his OPS+ has hovered around 130 while Abreu's has fallen into the sub-120 range. But given the aforementioned clogging at the DH spot, the Sox likely believe Abreu's glove is better than Dunn's in the outfield. They might be right, but only barely. Either way, it's a shame the Sox can't find a spot for Dunn; his contract woes are even sadder than Abreu's.

Either way, the Sox could get a one-year infusion of talent in their outfield for a bargain-basement price, at least compared to the old Abreu's contract. Smart move by Kenny Williams. Let's see if it pays off.