Luhnow not surprised by Abreu's success in Chicago

ARLINGTON -- It doesn't come as a surprise to Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow that rookie Jose Abreu is off to a quick start for the White Sox, hitting .300 with four homers and 14 RBIs in his first 10 games in the Major Leagues.

The Astros made a huge push to sign the Cuban in the offseason and by all accounts came in second in the bidding to the White Sox, who signed him to a six-year, $68 million deal.

"I figured he was going to be a guy who could produce power," Luhnow said. "Usually, there's a transition when a guy comes over to this league, because this is the best pitching in the world. I do think that once more scouting reports get out there on him, he'll have to make some adjustments. I'm not surprised that he's showing early power."

There were four different rounds of bidding for Abreu, and the Astros were in the hunt until the end. Luhnow said it was a well-managed process, with each team getting an opportunity to stretch themselves as far as they felt comfortable financially.

"We stretched ourselves further than we intended to and we came pretty close," Luhnow said. "When you factor in the tax advantages of Texas vs. other markets, the gap was really only a couple of million dollars at the end of the day.

"It's one of those things, should we have pushed a little harder? Possibly. When you're in negotiations like that and you're in a bidding war like that, you have to have limits or you'll be the one that overpays. That's one I do think we came close. He's going to be a good player, and that's why we put all that effort into it."