The Chicago White Sox may not be trading designated hitter Eloy Jimenez after all, according to 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine.Levine reported Sunday that there has been “very little interest” in Jimenez.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz said in November that he had received inquiries about Jimenez. Prior to last summer’s MLB Trade Deadline, the Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers were pegged as possible destinations for Jimenez.
The well seems to have dried up for the 27-year-old power hitter over the past few months, however.
Jimenez made his MLB debut in 2019, finishing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting after batting .267 with 31 home runs, 79 RBI, an .828 OPS and a 1.5 WAR in 122 games. Jimenez played 55 out of 60 games in 2020, hitting .296 with 14 homers, 41 RBI, an .891 OPS and a 1.4 WAR en route to a Silver Slugger Award.
Ever since, though, Jimenez has struggled to stay in the lineup.
Jimenez appeared in just 55 games in 2021, then 84 in 2022. He had his healthiest season in years in 2023, playing in 120 contests, but the slugger still missed over 40 games due to multiple stints on the injured list.
The right-handed hitter out of the Dominican Republic notched 18 home runs and 64 RBI this past year while batting .272 with a .758 OPS and a career-low 0.3 WAR.
Jimenez is going into the final guaranteed year on his contract, and he will be due $13.8 million in 2024. He has team options coming up in each of the next two offseasons.
If he doesn’t get his $16.5 million in 2025 or $18.5 million in 2026, Jimenez would be owed a $3 million buyout.
Jimenez may be the best designated hitter on the trade market, while veteran free agents JD Martinez, Jorge Soler and Rhys Hoskins remain unsigned. Each player in that trio is likely to command average annual salaries in the same ballpark as Jimenez’s, and they are all over the age of 30.
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