White Sox Rumors: Will Eloy Jiménez leave the South Side?
The White Sox have made it clear that no one on their roster is safe from being shipped out of Chicago. This isn't surprising, given the White Sox's top to bottom woes, but it does perhaps cheapen the good seasons of work given by some of their other players, including Eloy Jiménez who behind Dylan Cease will be the team's most valuable trade chip ahead of the new season if trading Robert is off the table. If the White Sox are trying to reduce payroll, placing the burden of his contract on another team would free up a little over $7 million next year.
Jiménez spent most of his year at DH, where he hit .272 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI. These aren't exceptional numbers, especially at DH, but they could be good enough to get the White Sox a player or two in return to help stanch the bleeding if any reported trade interest comes to fruition, while also getting rid of at least part of their $21.5 million obligation to him over the next three years.
Jiménez's youth put up against his history of injury create a bit of a complex package. He'll be 27 throughout the 2024 season, but an appendectomy kept him out for three weeks this season, and in 2022 a hamstring strain put him on the 60-day IL, hampering what very well could've been a career year (he batted .295 with 16 home runs and 54 RBI in just 84 games). Still, there's no shortage of teams that are in need of a DH, or at least more options at DH (Padres? Brewers? Cubs?), which makes it unsurprising that Jiménez has been receiving interest from the league. It shouldn't shock anyone if he doesn't take the field in a White Sox uniform next year.