3:13 p.m.: Jimenez will earn a guaranteed salary of $2MM if he joins the team, reports Héctor Gomez of Z101 Digital. He can earn an additional $2MM in playing time incentives.
12:13 p.m.: The Rays have agreed terms with designated hitter Eloy Jimenez on a minor league contract, according to a report from ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. The deal likely includes an invitation to the big league Spring Training.
Jimenez, 28, signed with the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic as a rookie international and made his professional debut in 2014. He quickly moved up the ranks of the prospects and was eventually sidelined. Dylan Cease in the crosstown trade that brought Jose Quintana at Wrigley Field. Jimenez’s star streak continued to shine with the White Sox, and they eventually signed him to a long-term deal before his big league debut in 2019. A $43MM guarantee gave Chicago control over Jimenez for eight seasons in a record deal. for someone who had yet to make his league debut.
The deal initially looked like a coup as the slugger burst onto the scene in the majors by finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 before Jimenez slashed .295/.332/.559 (138 wRC+) in the polls. 14 homers in just 55 games in the shortened 2020 season. Jimenez’s excellent offense helped lead the White Sox to their first appearance since 2008, and when they fell to the A’s in three games it looked like the South Siders were in position to contend for years to come with Jimenez as a key part of the team. the core.
Things didn’t work out that way, unfortunately. Jimenez was limited to just 139 games and 558 trips to the plate over the next two seasons due to multiple injuries, and while he posted a 125 wRC+ during that time the missed time combined with Jimenez’s lax defense in the outfield led Chicago to commit. depending on more or less full-time DH going forward. While Jimenez remains healthy enough to play 120 games in 2023, his offense left a lot to be desired as he slashed just .272/.317/.441 with 18 homers in 489 plate appearances. That was good for a 105 wRC+ which, while above average, left him as a nearly replacement level DH (0.6 fWAR).
After a 101-game losing streak in 2023, the White Sox hoped Jimenez would bounce back enough in 2024 to build his trade value and bring an attractive piece or two to the rebuild they had started by trading Dylan Cease and down. Tim AndersonClub option in the off-season. Unfortunately, the slugger did anything but as he had the worst performance of his career in 2024. In 98 games with the White Sox and Orioles, Jimenez hit a measly .238/.289/.336 and was worth -0.9 fWAR . That below-replacement production made it an easy decision for Baltimore to release him this winter, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.
That led him to the Rays, who are coming off a disappointing 2024 season largely due to a poor offense. Given Jimenez’s offensive struggles, he’s hardly a guarantee to help with that. But adding a bat with his minor league contract extension won’t detract from the club’s efforts to produce a strong roster in 2025, and even if Jimenez can only manage a 105 wRC+ he posts in 2023 that would still be an improvement of 97. wRC+ the Rays are out of their DH spot last year. If Jimenez can make the roster coming out of camp, he could join the young likes Christopher Morel, Jonathan Arandaagain Johnny DeLuca resulting in playing time in the outfield and DH.
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