CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox have traded Eloy Jimenez to the Baltimore Orioles, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightingale, the Jimenez trade was primarily a salary dump. Jimenez is on the books for $13 million in the final year of a six-year, $43 million contract and Baltimore was willing to take the risk in acquiring him.
On the other side of the deal, the White Sox acquired left-handed pitcher Trey McGough from the Orioles in exchange for Jimenez.
McGough, who is 26-years-old, has split time between Baltimore’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates this year. In 28 games for the Bowie Baysox (AA) and the Norfolk Tides (AAA), McGough has pitched 54.1 innings where he’s registered 55 strikeouts, 21 walks and a 0.99 WHIP to go with seven games finished and two saves.
Jimenez, the oft-injured, power-hitting designated hitter, has struggled for most of 2024, hitting .240/.297/.345 with a .642 OPS and an 81 OPS+, which equates to him being 19% worse than the league average hitter this season.
Jimenez burst onto the Major League Baseball scene as a rookie with the White Sox, hitting 31 home runs with 79 RBI in 2019 before going on to win a Silver Slugger award his sophomore year during the 2020 COVID pandemic-shortened season.
Ever since though, Jimenez has struggled to stay on the field, having played in only 324 of a possible 595 games dating back to the start of the 2021 MLB regular season.
The MLB trade deadline will come to pass this evening at 5 p.m. CT.
The Chicago White Sox take on the Kansas City Royals Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. CT at Guaranteed Rate Field.