All signs point toward Abreu staying with White Sox

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn has repeatedly said he prefers to sign desired players to contract extensions in the offseason.

“We don't want to create any distractions in the clubhouse or take any of the focus off what goes on the field,” Hahn said last weekend. “There have been a couple of exceptions over the years. It's not necessarily a hard and fast rule, but in general it's the kind of thing we prefer to address in the offseason.”

The Sox extended star pitcher Mark Buehrle on July 8, 2007. Just over a month later, they extended right fielder Jermaine Dye.

Jose Abreu has been campaigning to be the latest exception.

After hitting a game-winning home run in Game 2 of a July 3 doubleheader against the Tigers at Guaranteed Rate Field, Abreu made his feelings quite clear.

“I don't want to leave here,” he said through White Sox translator Billy Russo. “We are going to be good. We have a lot of talent. I'm very blessed being here in this organization.

“I want to be part of this organization going forward because I know we are going to be very, very good and I think you can see that right now. If I would be the owner, I would sign myself here. I want to stay here.”

Do the Sox feel the same way about Abreu, who played in his third All-Star Game Tuesday?

“Jose knows how we feel about him, and we know how he feels about us,” Hahn said. “There's a time when the business side of this thing takes a little more focus than the playing side. We will wait until things are appropriate and deal with everything then, in all probability.”

Let's take a look at that business side for a moment.

With a roster full of young players, the White Sox have a $93 million payroll this season. That ranks 25th out of 30 major-league teams.

Money is not going to be an issue when it comes to extending the 32-year-old Abreu, who is in the sixth and final year of a contract that is paying him $16 million this season.

Still a very productive hitter — Abreu entered Saturday's play ranked third in the American League with 66 RBI and tied for sixth with 21 home runs — skill is not an issue.

His presence in the clubhouse is also a huge plus.

“He's been like a father to me,” rookie left fielder Eloy Jimenez said. “He gives me advice, he always tries to help me. When you find people like that, you don't know how to explain how great those people are.”

“He helps me a lot in every aspect, on and off the field,” third baseman Yoan Moncada said through a translator. “How to approach at-bats, how to do your bating practice routine, how to handle yourself in different situations. He's a mentor for us and for me. I owe him a lot.”

Add it all up, and Abreu looks like the ideal veteran to lead an up-and-coming White Sox team.

When manager Rick Renteria is asked about the big first baseman, he gets choked up.

“He's always been a guy that shows you by example, his preparation, how he works, the things that he does,” Renteria said. “You guys already know, I'm a big Jose Abreu fan. We'd like for him to continue to be himself, and I'll just leave it at that.”

The Sox have four options with Abreu:

•They can trade him before the July 31 deadline.

•They can extend him before the end of the season.

•They can let him depart as a free agent in the offseason.

•They can sign him to a contract extension in the offseason.

We'll go with the final option — Abreu agrees to a new deal when the season is over. The guess here is it's a two-year contract with a club option for 2022.

Hahn's most telling comments about Abreu came on an MLB Network appearance in mid-May.

“He's been here throughout the early stages of this rebuild and it's certainly very likely that he'll be here for the more enjoyable stages that lie ahead of us,” Hahn said. “Jose has huge value to us, not just in terms of what he does in between the lines but in terms of role he plays in the clubhouse. I think that's a large part of the reason that, although you've seen us move some premium type talent as part of this rebuild over the last couple years, Jose is still here.”