O's land big bat Eloy Jim¨¦nez from White Sox
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BALTIMORE -- Eloy Jiménez is a former Silver Slugger with 30-homer potential; his powerful bat has flashed what it can do at various times throughout his six-year MLB career. The 27-year-old just hasn¡¯t been able to stay healthy.
The Orioles will be hoping Jim¨¦nez can stay on the field and soon return to form, which is why they¡¯re taking a chance on the slugger.
Baltimore acquired Jim¨¦nez and cash considerations from the White Sox on Tuesday in a deal that sent Minor League left-hander Trey McGough to Chicago.
TRADE DETAILS
Orioles receive: DH/OF Eloy Jim¨¦nez, cash considerations (via CHW), OF Austin Slater, INF Livan Soto, cash considerations (via CIN)
White Sox receive: LHP Trey McGough
Reds receive: PTBNL or cash considerations
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¡°We hope we can get Eloy on a heater,¡± general manager Mike Elias said on MASN during Tuesday¡¯s 6-2 win over the Blue Jays at Camden Yards.
Jim¨¦nez was named an American League Silver Slugger in 2020, when he recorded a career-best .891 OPS with 14 homers in 55 games during the pandemic-shortened season. He has 94 home runs over six big league seasons, 31 of which came during his '19 rookie campaign.
This year, Jim¨¦nez is slashing .240/.297/.345 with nine doubles, five homers and 16 RBIs in 65 games. He spent time on the injured list earlier this season with a left adductor strain and a left hamstring strain.
Jim¨¦nez has been hampered by injuries throughout his career, playing only 139 games across the 2021 and ¡®22 seasons, then 120 in ¡®23. When healthy, though, the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native has proven he can be a potent part of a lineup.
Baltimore wanted to add a right-handed hitter after trading outfielder Austin Hays to Philadelphia on Friday in exchange for right-handed reliever Seranthony Dom¨ªnguez and outfielder Cristian Pache. The club also acquired right-handed-hitting outfielder Austin Slater in a deal with Cincinnati, a transaction that also brought infielder Livan Soto back to the O¡¯s.
¡°We¡¯re adding a couple right-handed hitters,¡± manager Brandon Hyde said. ¡°We felt like that was important to give us some more options against left-handed pitching.¡±
Jim¨¦nez broke into the big leagues as an outfielder, but he¡¯s mostly served as a designated hitter in recent years. He¡¯s made only one defensive appearance this season (eight innings in right field), with his other 61 games coming at DH.
Since the start of 2023, Jim¨¦nez has made 161 starts at DH and only 15 in the outfield.
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The Orioles haven¡¯t had a set designated hitter in recent years, using that spot to rotate through players. However, Jim¨¦nez could get a lot of starts there when the team is facing a left-handed starter moving forward.
Jim¨¦nez is making $13.8 million this season and has club options for each of the next two years: $16.5 million for ¡®25 and $18.5 million for ¡®26.
This is a low-risk, potentially high-reward move for the O¡¯s, who didn¡¯t have to part with a notable prospect and could get a big offensive boost should Jim¨¦nez return to his old form.