Astros fans yearn for Yuli Gurriel as Jose Abreu fails to live up to his bloated price tag

When Jose Abreu arrived in Houston this past offseason, fresh off of a three-year, $58.5 million contract with the team, fans had mixed feelings.

On one hand, their team had just acquired a former AL MVP who was capable of driving in league-leading RBI numbers. On the other hand, the arrival of Abreu pushed out first baseman Yuli Gurriel, who had helped the team to two World Series victories since joining the club in 2016.

However, when Yuli Gurriel's contract expired, fans had no choice but to get excited about Jose Abreu. Now, it looks like their exuberance may have been premature.

The winner of the 2020 MVP Award as a member of the Chicago White Sox, hopes were high for Abreu. Unfortunately, the Cuban has failed to meet up to those standards, only managing to slash .212/.273/.261 on the year with only one home run in 60 games.

"Are we entering trade for a first baseman territory?" - Michael Schwab

After the Astros' third straight loss against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 8, fans seemed to have had enough of Abreu. Several took to Twitter to disparage the 36-year-old.

Many of the comments looked upon the Yuli Gurriel days longingly. After departing the Astros, Yuli inked a minor-league deal with the Miami Marlins, which he used as a springboard to compete on the big-league club. So far in 40 games with the Marlins this season, Gurriel is hitting .275/.333/.416 with 3 home runs and 13 RBIs.

Alongside Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel was part of a quartet of players to set an MLB record of 73 postseason starts together. The 2021 batting champ and former Gold Glove winner, Astros fans knew they had a winner in Yuli.

Jose Abreu is the weakest link of an otherwise stacked Astros

By just about every measurement, Jose Abreu has the worst offensive numbers of any player on the Houston Astros this season. As such, the team has taken a departure from last year, wherein virtually any Astros player represented a threat at the plate.

Whether Abreu's troubles stem from discomfort in a new setting, his age, or something that fans have yet to realize, they have hindered his team's chances of getting back into the postseason. If the Astros want to convince fans that they are still a World Series-calibre team, then Jose Abreu will need to start hitting, soon.