CHICAGO -- Cuban slugger Jose Abreu has agreed to a six-year, $68 million contract with the Chicago White Sox, a person familiar with the situation said Friday.cheap jerseys . The person spoke Friday on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced and was pending a physical. Several outlets had earlier reported the agreement. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Abreu could play first base or serve as the designated hitter. He batted .360 (9-for-25) with three home runs and nine RBIs at the World Baseball Classic last spring, and he defected over the summer. Abreu joins a team that went 63-99 after finishing second in the AL Central. The White Sox believe they can turn things around quickly because of their pitching, but defence and hitting were huge problems for them this past season. They ranked 29th in fielding percentage, and they didnt get the job done at the plate, either. A lack of speed and a drop in power added up to the White Sox scoring the fewest runs in the American League. They batted just .249 and saw their home run total plummet to 148 after they ranked third in the majors with 211 the previous year. With Adam Dunn signed through next season and Abreu in the mix, there might not be room for Paul Konerko. At 37 and with an expiring contract, he might have played his last season with the White Sox -- or any other team. The six-time All-Star is coming off one of his worst seasons and said at the end of the year that he would take a month to decide if hell try to play next season. He wasnt sure if the White Sox even wanted him back after he hit .244 with just 12 homers and 54 RBIs while dealing with a back problem. If this does signal the end in Chicago, its been quite a run. Acquired from Cincinnati following the 1998 season, Konerko helped lead the White Sox to a championship in 2005. He ranks second on the White Soxs list to Frank Thomas in homers and RBIs. NOTE: The White Sox outrighted left-handed pitcher David Purcey to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. He was 1-1 with a 2.13 ERA over 24 relief appearances with Chicago. The White Soxs 40-man roster is at 36.wholesale jerseys . In the end, the results were all that manager Bobby Valentine cared to focus on, and understandably so. Mike Aviles homered and the Red Sox bullpen just barely avoided another big collapse in a 7-6 victory over the Twins. wholesale nfl jerseys . Duch tied season highs with four goals, six assists and 10 points, and recorded five loose balls in Washingtons 16-13 loss to Toronto last Friday. Its the second time Duch has received weekly offensive player honors this year.ST. LOUIS -- No. 2 Wichita State is still perfect. Calm and collected, too, in a 32nd straight win. The top-seeded Shockers stayed unbeaten with an 80-58 romp over Evansville in the quarterfinals of the Missouri Valley tournament Friday. "I love how this team goes about their business, their approach and how resolute they are," coach Gregg Marshall said. "Theyre really, really focused and locked in to the next challenge, and thats how you win 32 in a row." If theyre feeling pressure because of the streak, their opponents never noticed. "Fantastic to see what theyre doing," Evansville guard D.J. Balentine said after scoring 31 points. "If people say they dont deserve a No. 1 seed, thats silly." Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker scored 17 points apiece and Wichita State set a tournament record with 11 blocked shots, shot 51 per cent and held Evansville to 37 per cent. "Got to have some erasers back there," point guard Fred VanVleet said. It was intimidating on both ends, with everyone sharing in the success and no one taking more than 11 shots. Just how Marshall drew it up. "This team is very unselfish," Baker said. "If we continue to play like that, I like our chances." Balentine made seven 3-pointers for ninth-seeded Evansville (14-19), which lost twice by an average of 15 points to Wichita State (32-0) in the regular season. The Purple Aces led 20-19 midway through the first half before Wichita State started pulling away. "Its hard for us to just make passes from A to B," coach Marty Simmons said. "They play hard. They challenge every catch. Their intensity is outstanding." Kadeem Coleby had six of the blocks for the Shockers, who are two victories shy of matching the NCAA record of 34 wins to start a season by UNLV in 1990-91. UNLV was perfect before losing in the NCAA semifinals to Duke that season. Wichita State beat every Valley school twice in the regular season and takes on the Missouri State-Illinois State winner in the semifinals Saturday. cheap nfl jerseys. Missouri State has come the closest to beating the Shockers, losing by three in overtime at home in January after blowing a 19-point lead. This is rarified air for the Shockers, who havent been ranked this high since 1981 when they were also No. 2. They went to the Final Four last year as a No. 9 seed and are two wins away from a first Valley title since 1987 and a likely No. 1 seed. "Theyre disciplined in everything they do," Simmons said. "Theyre well-schooled. Theyre well-taught. They dont beat themselves." Balentine was 7 for 14 from 3-point range, falling one short of the school record while slowed at the finish by a hip injury. He led the Valley with a 22.5-point average and scored 30 points in the play-in game victory over eighth-seeded Drake on Thursday. "I thought once we got Balentine to miss a couple shots, we were in much better shape," Marshall said. "He was incredible." Egidiju Mockevicius added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Evansville. Early had a four-point play and a three-point play and ran down Blake Simmons to swat away a layup late in the first half. Baker had five points in a 17-5 run that made it 40-27 with 1:34 left in the first half. "We dont get any foul calls in practice," Early said. "Its like Im trying to make the basket regardless because I feel like I might not get the foul call." The Shockers were just as relentless in the second half. A 15-5 run put them up 20 points with just under 12 minutes to go. Baker was 4 for 6 from 3-point range and Tekele Cotton was 3 for 5. VanVleet, the Valley player of the year, had nine points, five assists and four steals. Chadrack Lufile had 11 points and seven rebounds, and Early added six rebounds and two blocks. "I dont tell good players to pass on good shots," Marshall said. "When its your turn to shoot and youre open, I want you to shoot it, and, in fact, I get upset with them when they dont. "I think theyve got character, for sure." ' ' '
