Jose Abreu Trade Rumors: White Sox Would Have to Be 'Overwhelmed' to Make Deal

While the baseball world was just rocked by Giancarlo Stanton's trade to the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox have no plans to add to the growing list of sluggers on the move.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the White Sox would have to be "overwhelmed" to deal first baseman Jose Abreu, citing his strong presence in the clubhouse.

Abreu, 30, is heading into his second arbitration year after hitting .304/.354/.552 with 33 home runs and 102 runs batted in last season.

The White Sox went 67-95 last season and are clearly in the midst of a retooling phase with their franchise. That's led to some speculation that Abreu could be on the move, with the prospect of free agency in 2020 adding a little bit of urgency to Chicago's thinking.

Teams that missed out on the Stanton sweepstakes—particularly the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants—could have targeted Abreu with offers similar to the ones they gave Miami for Stanton. Abreu does not have a no-trade clause, so he would not be able to control the process in the same way as Stanton did.

“We are going to be opportunistic when chances to improve ourselves, both in the short and long term, arise,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said ahead of the winter meetings, per Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. “We have areas where we know we can get better. Certainly, the pitching staff does need reinforcements after the moves we made last summer.”

Abreu has spent his entire career in Chicago after defecting from Cuba, hitting 124 home runs and driving in 410 runs in four seasons with the team. He ranks seventh in wins above replacement among first basemen since his rookie season, per FanGraphs.