"They had to do this" - Ken Rosenthal provides his two cents on Astros releasing Jose Abreu

The Houston Astros made a big move by releasing the former MVP and All-Star first baseman Jose Abreu from their roster ahead of the trade deadline. He signed with the Astros during his free agency in 2022 for a three-year, $58.5 million contract.

Abreu was in the second year of his contract when the team announced his termination on Friday. Astros now owe more than $30 million remaining on his contract. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic believes that it was a right and necessary move by the Houston front office.

“He [Jose Abreu] has not performed. They sent him to the spring training complex, tried to get him straightened out, hasn’t happened. He’s clogged the roster. This is a stunning move, quite obvious for the Astros,” Rosenthal said on “Foul Territory” show.

“They can do some other things at first base. It wasn’t just working with Jos Abreu. They had to do this.”

Compared to his Chicago White Sox performances, he went downhill since joining the Astros. Last year, he struggled to adjust but the team put their faith in him and played him in 141 games. He scored 90 RBIs, 62 runs, and 18 home runs with a batting average of .237 while having a .680 OPS.

The hope was that this season would be better, but that didn’t happen. Instead, he had his career’s worst season with a stat line of .124/.167/.195 with a .361 OPS in 35 games.

The Astros sent him to the minors in late April in the hope of a comeback from the Cuban All-Star. Jose Abreu rejoined the Astros on May 27. However, the results remained the same as he continued to struggle. In his last series against the San Francisco Giants, Abreu went 0-for-7, forcing the management to make a decision.

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The Astros next step after parting ways with Jose Abreu

It’s an interesting decision by the Houston Astors since they didn’t use Jose Abreu for a trade offer but instead decided to release him. However, they might already be preparing for their next big step to help them raise the AL West Division ranking.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Astros aim to be a potential buyer for two starters during the trade deadline. Considering their inconsistency in the rotation, it's a wise move.

“As they’ve said publicly. the Astros are planning not to be a seller but a buyer. Word is they’d like to acquire two starting pitchers, if possible,” Heyman reported.

Meanwhile, Chandler Rome of The Athletic connected Cooper Hummel’s call-up with Abreu, but nothing is confirmed yet.

It remains to be seen how the Astros will move forward after this, and whether or not Jose Abrue’s exit favors them.