Eloy Jiménez has found a new home. According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, the longtime White Sox slugger has signed with the Tampa Bay Rays on a minor league deal. Jimènez will now have a fresh start with the Rays as he looks to revitalize his career.
To say 2024 was a disaster for Eloy would be an understatement. He played 65 games with the White Sox this past season, hitting just five home runs and putting up an 84 OPS+. Injuries were once again a significant issue for Jimènez. He missed several weeks in early April and over a month from late May to late June because of physical problems.
Jimènez’s disappointing White Sox tenure ended unceremoniously. The team traded him at the deadline to the Baltimore Orioles for a minor-league reliever. A parting of ways was inevitable and it seemed like a change of scenery would do Jimènez well. After all, the Orioles were one of the better teams in the American League and featured a stacked lineup that Jimènez could assimilate into. His time in Baltimore did not go as hoped. In 33 games with the Orioles, he hit just one home run. He was even worse offensively with the Orioles than he was with the White Sox. Jimènez had a $16.5 million team option for 2025 which Baltimore promptly declined as soon as the offseason began. The Orioles parting ways with him was a formality. There was no way they would pay him that much for the production he put up in 2024.
Despite his injury history and poor 2024 season, Jimènez is still only 28. He now joins a Rays team that desperately could use more home run power. They had just four hitters with over 15 home runs last season, and three of those four players are no longer on the team. It is worth noting that Jimènez signed a minor league deal, so his spot is not guaranteed. He must prove himself in spring training and stay healthy to earn a place on the Rays roster. Tampa Bay does seem like a good fit for both parties, however. Jimènez will have every chance to earn a spot and the notorious small-market Rays potentially get a high-upside player for basically no risk.
Eloy Jimènez’s White Sox tenure did not end the way anyone hoped. For reasons out of his control, it is fair to consider him one of the team’s biggest busts in recent memory. It will be interesting to see if he can revitalize his career elsewhere. Making the Rays roster will likely be his last chance in the big leagues unless he rounds back into form.
