Recent American League MVP Cut Loose, Released

Father Time has yet to be defeated. That inescapable reality has hit hard today, as a recent American League MVP award winner has fallen so far at the age of 37, that he's been released and cut loose. The Houston Astros have cut the cord on Jose Abreu.

The Houston Astros released first baseman José Abreu. He is owed more than $30 million on the free agent deal he signed last year.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 14, 2024

The Astros will now have to eat the more than $30 million still owed Abreu on the 3-year, $58 million deal they signed him to last year.

Teammate Maurucio Dubon called it "devastating" and a "gut punch" to see the respected veteran get the pink slip.

Mauricio Dubon reacts to the release of Jose Abreu.

“It sucks, man. He’s a big part of the clubhouse. We’re a family here. Thats the thing. It’s a gut punch.”

🥺🥺🥺 pic.twitter.com/lUHqN1fNEW
— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) June 14, 2024

“It sucks, man. He’s a big part of the clubhouse. We’re a family here. Thats the thing. It’s a gut punch.”

Abreu won the American League Rookie of the Year in 2014 with the Chicago White Sox, then won MVP honors with them in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He also got some MVP votes in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. But the fall-off after he signed with Houston last year has been precipitous.

After batting over .300 with an .824 OPS in '22 with the White Sox, his struggles began as soon as he arrived with the Astros. He hit .237 last season and had his first year ever with an OPS+ below league average, at 87.

This season he has completely fallen off a cliff, hitting just .124 with a .361 OPS and an OPS+ of 4. Yes, four.

We'll see if another team around baseball wants to take a chance at seeing if they can help Abreu capture some semblance of his former self, and it'll only cost them the league minimum.