Astros release José Abreu from major league roster

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros released José Abreu on Friday, ending his miserable 15-month tenure with a team that could no longer afford to have him active in any capacity.

According to Baseball-Reference, Abreu accrued negative-1.6 wins above replacement across his star-crossed Astros tenure, solidifying the three-year, $58.5 million contract as the worst in franchise history.

Few deals in the history of Houston sports have been worse than Abreu’s. Owner Jim Crane and special adviser Jeff Bagwell negotiated it in the absence of a general manager during the 2022 offseason — one that began with Crane firing then-GM James Click.

Abreu is a former American League Rookie of the Year who won MVP honors in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He earned MVP votes as recently as 2022 — a season before Houston signed him.

His decline since has been staggering. Abreu hit .237 and posted a .680 OPS during his only full season as an Astro — and needed a September resurgence to make those numbers look somewhat respectable. His three home runs during the Astros’ four-game ALDS victory against the Minnesota Twins are the lone highlights of Abreu’s otherwise anemic tenure.

After Abreu started this season in a 7-for-71 funk, the 37-year-old agreed to be optioned to the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, where team officials hoped he could fix issues with his swing timing and enjoy a mental reset.

In reality, the demotion started the clock on Abreu’s Astros career. After Abreu returned to the major-league team, manager Joe Espada started him in 12 of Houston’s 16 games. Abreu struck out 10 times and managed just seven hits and one walk in 43 plate appearances.

Abreu’s uncompetitiveness in a massive spot during the ninth inning of Monday’s 4-3 loss against the San Francisco Giants underscored a fact many watching this team had long since accepted — carrying him on the 26-man roster became untenable for a team trying to claw its way back into playoff contention.

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(Photo: Jerome Miron / USA Today)