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October 29th, 2013
CHICAGO -- When Ken Williams watched Jose Abreu during an open workout in the Dominican Republic about one month ago, the White Sox executive vice president had an unprecedented reaction.
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"Well, he's the only player that I've seen work out and then play in a game that I wanted to give a standing ovation to," said a smiling Williams after Tuesday's press conference to announce Abreu had joined the White Sox via a six-year, $68-million deal.
The 26-year-old from Cuba receives a $10-million signing bonus and is set to be paid $7 million in 2014 and '15, $10 million in '16, $10.5 million in '17, $11.5 million in '18 and $12 million in '19. It's the biggest deal in franchise history in terms of total money.
According to Barry Praver, Abreu's agent, the powerful first baseman can opt out of his contract when he first becomes eligible for arbitration and opt into arbitration despite the White Sox maintaining control over his contract. Abreu becomes the 17th Cuban native to suit up for the White Sox, joining teammates Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo, who provided valuable insight to general manager Rick Hahn in this recruitment process.
Already known as a plus-plus player on the power end, Williams hearkened back to that Dominican workout, stressing that Abreu will do more than just hit home runs.
"It was the most professional exhibition of hitting and really defensive work the way he went about things. It was professional. It was focused. It was geared to not just impress, but impress the right way," Williams said. "One of the things that we did not want to entertain was a guy who was just one dimensional. This guy is a hitter.
"You will see him hit the ball to right-center field as hard as Dayan Viciedo, for instance. It's a low-maintenance swing that requires very little effort. The power comes easy, comes naturally. It's just an impressive skill set."
