The White Sox’s fire sale is in full swing and a number of moves could still be on the way. Is it possible that one of them might involve a rather notable position player?
According to 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine, outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jimenez has been drawing trade interest from the Milwaukee Brewers and Miami Marlins. It’s not clear whether the White Sox are seriously entertaining these discussions, however, after it was previously reported by Jon Heyman that Jimenez was one of four players to be deemed “untouchable.”
Jimenez, 26, is still largely viewed as one of the team’s key players as he’s continued to show plenty of pop at the plate this season. He’s currently hitting .285/.328/.478 (78-for-274) with 13 home runs and 46 RBI in 70 games this year, and slashing .343/.378/.514 in 19 July games alone. While his recent play is promising and he’s been able to spend the last two months on the field, one of Jimenez’s biggest problems since making his MLB debut has been remaining healthy for long stretches of time.
As all White Sox fans know, Eloy’s injury woes began with a ruptured left pectoral tendon suffered during a Spring Training play in left field that sidelined him for over half of the 2021 campaign. He then missed two months of the 2022 season due to a hamstring injury and has since missed around a month in 2023 due to both another hamstring issue and an appendectomy. Though the latter isn’t necessarily Jimenez’s fault, should this be cause for long-term concern, or should the White Sox hold out hope for better health?
One factor that comes into any potential trade centered around Jimenez is his contract. The once prized possession of the notorious Crosstown deal signed a six-year, $43 million deal with the White Sox in March 2019. Based on the terms of the team-friendly deal, Jimenez is still under contract through at least 2024 and controllable through 2026 via two club option years, meaning that he would not only be a potential name to build around but also come with a pretty hefty asking price for any potential suitors.
It could very well be that the calls from the Brewers and Marlins were simply due diligence in case the White Sox front office was considering a much larger teardown of its core. While a trade could certainly come down the line depending on the organization’s long-term outlook, moving Jimenez at this year’s deadline seems rather unlikely given the front office’s comments about the team undergoing more of a retool than a rebuild.
If any new information regarding Jimenez becomes available, we will provide further updates. Follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more!
Featured Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
