With the White Sox in seller mode and already dealing away pending free agents, teams are also inquiring about some longer-term players. According to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score, the Brewers and Marlins have both shown interest in outfielder Eloy Jimenez, who is under contract through at least the 2024 season (and controllable through 2026 via two club option years).
There isn’t any indication that Jimenez is being shopped, and reports earlier this month suggested that Jimenez was one of four players (along with Luis Robert Jr., Dylan Cease, and Andrew Vaughn) as virtually untouchable. It is therefore possible that the interest from Milwaukee and Miami was simple due diligence, just in case the Sox were becoming more open to the idea of a wider-scale rebuild.
The White Sox haven’t been solely trading rental players, as Kendall Graveman (dealt yesterday to the Astros) is still under contract through 2024. But needless to say, moving Jimenez would be quite a different situation, as Chicago would be parting ways with a cornerstone player. The Sox signed Jimenez to his six-year, $43MM deal in March 2019 before he had even made his MLB debut, speaking to the confidence the front office had in the outfielder’s potential to lead the club into a new era of winning.
While the club’s on-field success has been limited, Jimenez has held up his end of the bargain at the plate. His .285/.328/.478 slash line over 293 plate appearances this season is pretty close to his overall career line over 1581 PA, but Jimenez’s problem has been just getting onto the field. A ruptured left pectoral tendon cost him over half of the 2021 campaign, and he missed two months of the 2022 season due to a hamstring injury. In 2023, Jimenez has missed roughly a month due to both another minor hamstring issue and an appendectomy.
Jimenez’s lack of defensive value is another issue, as he has posted generally below-average grades as a left fielder. With a number of DH days also required to keep him healthy, there is concern that Jimenez might already be trending towards being a DH-only player before his 27th birthday. This being said, there is still obvious reason why the Brewers, Marlins, or any number of teams would be interested in adding a young, above-average hitter to their lineups, especially at his price point. Jimenez is owed $13MM in 2024, and there are $3MM buyouts both his 2025 club option ($16.5MM) and 2026 option ($18.5MM).
Christian Yelich has been locked into Milwaukee’s left field position, so the Brewers could either test Yelich or Jimenez in right field in the event of a trade. The likelier possibility is that the Brewers would just use Jimenez primarily as a DH, adding some thump to a lineup that has struggled to generate offense this season.
Despite the lack of pop, the Brewers have ridden solid pitching (and a somewhat weak division) to first place in the NL Central. The Brew Crew already picked up Carlos Santana from the Pirates to help address first base, and Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic report that the Brewers also have interest in Mets outfielder Mark Canha.
The Marlins are similarly hanging in the wild card race without much lineup, particularly in the power department. With Jorge Soler playing mostly as a DH, Miami is more apt to use Jimenez as a left fielder. This might create something of a logjam once Jazz Chisholm Jr. returns from the injured list, but that’s a problem the Marlins are probably happy to have if it means having more offensive options in play.
Jimenez is not going to be traded this year.
Andrew Vaughn is untouchable? Why?
He’s only 25 and controllable until 2027.
He’s finally settled in the 1st base position this season after getting bounced around a couple of seasons. Numbers are not all that impressive at the plate but tolerable. Remember, Vaughn didn’t get much minor league experience so he’s been learning and getting his experience at the major league level. Now, if the Southsiders blow it all up then sure. Try to make a trade. Elroy on the other hand is a DH. Pure and simple. I would like to see what Eloy can do offensively with good health and around 600 plate appearances.
Not sold on Vaughn. Yea I get the reasons provided, but he settled in to first this season and has done worse, not better. Plus, he is short for a first baseman, and you cannot have a guy with no range at first, especially when guys like Moncada and Anderson are throwing at him eventually he is going to get hurt just trying to keep his foot on the bag while getting an errant throw from those two. I would much rather see Sheets get the rest of the year at first to see what he has if he gets ‘settled’ into the first base position.. Especially if Vaughn is nursing that bone bruise still. And if Sheets cannot hack it there? He will be known as a rather large pinch hitter/sometimes OF then and Vaughn is back there. Now is the time for the Sox to really see what they have in terms of talent as there is nothing to really play for at this point, other than pride.
Gurriel had better players throwing at him. I do agree that teams need to stop having guys out of position. Heck I saw Frank and Ozzie talking about how Moncada needs to play second again and keep Burger at 3rd.. Now, Im not sure where Frank and Ozzie got their head injuries to forget that the Sox tried this and Moncada was horrific at 2nd base (and fairly sure his bat suffered as well, but he needs to stay at third) Burger has not looked bad yest at second, and lets be honest, he’ll be back at third once Moncada is injured again.
I think most good teams do not play ‘musical chairs’ with a third to half of their lineup the way the Sox seem to.
Too short for a first baseman. Now I’ve heard it all. And many first basemen have limited range. It’s the place they put guys who can hit but have fielding limitations, obviously.
Vaughn rates as one of the worst defensive players in the league and is an average hitter when he’s going well. That type of player is very replaceable.
@mattv
Exactly.
Everyone was all like “oh now he’ll be at his best position and you all will see how good he is” heard that all off-season on the athletic and I kept saying “yeah wait it’s gonna be a clown show”.
Aaaand guess who was right?
He’s brutal.
Lol you love watching Eloy grimacing and jogging everytime he gets the bat on the ball haha that’s humorous
In the White Sox defense with Vaughn and Abreu, 2020 was supposed to be the start of their competitive window. If that when they viewed their best chance to start competiting at, then why would they trade a guy who just won MVP (albiet in a shortened season), and has been their most consistent producer for years? Imo, it would have made more sense for them to trade Vaughn in 2020 or 2021, not Abreu.
Wouldn’t it be innovative to build a team that is without fielding limitations? I say purge all the guys that can’t run or catch and start investing in pitching…. This front office doesn’t value speed or defense, and for years they have consistently beat themselves in the field and on the bases. There needs to be very few exceptions to this speed/defense prerequisite. Vaughn is no Manny Ramirez.
Because the White Sox FO is detached from reality. They banked on him way too much, and they’ll be damned if he finally finds success somewhere else.
Why would anyone on their whole roster be untouchable? U get the best prospects for the best players. The returns coming in are decent but not going to put the white sox back in contention for 24. So unload the whole team and start a new. Let the feature of the future be the returns for Robert and cease
Trade Eloy for something good.
Get a reliable OF position player.
Kenny? Is this you?
Jimenez is highly overrated; due to an extensive yearly injury record, he’s essentially a highly paid part time, DH-type player, who sometimes hits and cannot run.
He’s injury prone and atrocious on the defensive end. He’s a good hitter when healthy but won’t be shocked if those option years are not picked up by white Sox or whoever trades for him.
I know Eloy gets hurt a lot but if they trade him now this team will pretty much just be saying FU to the fans. Eloy and Luis Robert are the only guys who are fun to watch everyday.
White Sox are having a clearance sale…everything must go!
Jimenez isn’t likely to be traded though. As the article said, Brewers and Marlins were likely just checking in to see if he’d be available. I doubt the talks got very deep.
Jimenez = highly overrated. I think the Sox probably keep him & Moncada just to save face and not publicly admit just how badly they assess,develop, draft, sign and rate players.
That’s not fair. They did a tremendous job of scouting and signing Tatis Jr.
Owners 1st.
Anyone who wants him will have to overpay and considering he’s basically a DH with a inability to stay healthy not sure he’s worth a overpay
I’m pretty sure by overpay he means they’d have to surrender a good haul of prospects, and probably higher ones than they’d like to part with, just to get the white Sox to make the deal.
“Doesn’t care about millions”…Billionaires in general are cheap and don’t like to waste their money. At some point they expect VALUE for their dollars. It’s how they got rich.
You obviously never heard of Jerry Reinsdorf.
Hey, I am looking for my boy Elroy Jetson!!!
Wow, I didn’t realize that he has stayed on the field for such a small percentage of the time. The most games he has been in was his rookie season at 122 contests. None of the other seasons even 100.
Maybe I assumed that everyone was already aware of the shortened season because of something called COVID, but it doesn’t change the fact that he has only played in 100 games or more once in his career.
“Yeah and in 2020”..You’re almost certainly a paid propagandist. You make some of the most ridiculous, ludicrous points, bro.
If it includes 2 players in either organizations top 5 prospects…I’m having that conversation with serious consideration. Eloy’s ceiling is still very high if he can stay healthy..
If they can get anything of value for Eloy the Ouchy Clown, and they refuse to pull the trigger, then they are dumber than a bag of hammers.
Other teams actually showing interest in that goof is a blessing in an otherwise cursed season.
Talent is there, its just the health, and honestly I think these guys get a hangnail and call it a day. Grifol erred and said ‘I told him to slow down’ after Jimenez tweaked his groin muscle, I think what he really meant was sometimes you do have to play through the issues in a major league season which is a lot longer than seasons they have been used to..
He has been primarily a DH this season, and he was running down the line when he messed up his hamstring, same with this latest groin muscle issue. The guy is a walking injury. To be fair this is also on their conditioning staff. If you know the guy is a chandelier he should be in the trainers room every day getting limber or working on a conditioning routine. Soft tissue injuries should not be happening at the clip they have been on this Sox club since Schneider retired.
He’s a stooge. He’s sitting there giggling with opponents and waving to his mommy while the team gets thumped.
And it’s OK to “blame a guy for being hurt” when he is hurt in perpetuity.
Go learn something about baseball. Meanwhile, don’t interrupt grown folks.
White Sox certainly should be open to trading Eloy and Cease. However they should consider those moves in the offseason when the market/bidding will be more robust.
I think both of these guys stay through next mid season at earliest.as the Sox FO will see if they can right the ship this off season (which I doubt if the whole coaching and FO staff stay the same)
Other teams have more options in the off season, what with FAs and trades from all teams. If you can get a haul from a team desperate at the deadline, then do it. That’s what the Brewers did with Hader last year. It hurt the team short-term, but now is looking like the right move.
Carlos Lee version 2.0 for the Brewers. Can’t wait for that.
As long as we don’t trade him and a promising prospect to another team for a package return like Fransisco Cordero (who at that time was a struggling commodity) Kevin Mench, Laynce Nix and another player that I can’t even remember, we’ll be okay. As much of a Podsednik fan as I was, I never hated the trade for Lee, but man did I always feel like we got robbed giving up Lee and Nelson Cruz for THAT return
the fourth player was RP Julian Cordero
Eloy is a DH who hasn’t lived up to the hype. Obviously, with his affordable contract, you don’t give him away. You also don’t make a DH a cornerstone of the team going forward. I doubt he’s at peak value, but if you don’t like what you hear, wait to hear next trade market.
Chris Young better be in on him too if he is available.
Love all the arm chair GMs on here saying “no chance this guy or this guy gets traded”
Acting like they have the slightest bit of insight into the thinking of front offices lol
I think, like a lot of the Sox players, there is potential. Get Jimenez on a team with a conditioning/training staff worth a damn and maybe he stays healthy enough to DH for 120-130 games in a season (I mean he will likely still get hurt, but I’m guessing a good staff can minimize the instances). I think its also a question of toughness (yeah yeah cue the gym coach comments) but some of these injuries these guys may be able to play through, but do not. One telling injury was when the Sox were in a pivotal series last season (I think it was against the Twins), and Eloy ‘swung wrong’ and left the game (arguably when they needed his bat the most), only to be back in the lineup the next day. Now maybe that is just the culture today, but typically guys are not at 100% even midway through the season and it seems like the Sox players are always on the DH with soft tissue injuries (many which really should not occur if you are an athlete and rely on your performance to make money).
Who says no. Jackson Chourio for Luis Robert jr
Signed thru 2025, 6 yrs/$50M (20-25) & 26-27 team option
Are you crazy, is that your problem?
The brewers laugh, hang up and then laugh for a few hours at the bar after.
Jackson Chourio for Luis Robert jr. Signed thru 2025, 6 yrs/$50M (20-25) & 26-27 team option
Which team says no
Chourio is 19 years old and untouchable. He’s got the same upside and will be up next year. Can’t imagine why the Brewers would trade him for the more expensive option. Similar skill set.
I’d say yes if I was brewers. Robert over next couple seasons will be much better than Chourio and they have a legit window !
Problem is – fans want their teams to win it all but most teams want to just stay competitive. So brewers will pass bc of that
Robert doesn’t fill the biggest hole for the brewers. The brewers needs were help at the corners and a DH. They already have multiple CF’s playing in the OF along side Yelich.
I’m a Sox fan. I’d trade the guy because he can pull a hamstring walking up the tunnel to the dugout. The Sox have some depth at DH with Gavin Sheets from the left side and Jake Burger from the right side, Neither one of those players are all-star defenders.. This “rebuild” has been a joke. Seven years ago they traded off their most valuable assets for prospects that never developed and now they are trading them off.. The ownership is a joke. The front office is a joke. So why not get rid of an inconsistent, injury plagued player while you can when their is no chance at being competitive now or in the immediate future.
You talk about Burger’s and Sheets’ defense but they look just as bad as everyone else. 3 errors a piece for them. Moncada, Zavala, and Remillard all have 3 as well. Anderson and Andrus both have 8. Grandal and Robert both have 2. Funny thing is Eloy has played 100 innings in RF without any errors. I rather have Burger in the field then Moncada.
Errors are only part of the equation, especially in the outfield. But infield defensive chances compared to outfield chances are apple and oranges.
DRS (defensive runs saved) and OAA (outs above average) come much closer to defining a players defensive ability.
Also 109 innings is just 12 games. Yet, Eloy is already -2 DRS and -1 OAA. That’s terrible.
I think you and Benetti are the only people on the planet that attempt to defend Eloy’s defense.
I’m not really defending his defense. I think he is a DH who at worst could probably fill in to give someone an off day. I just think it’s funny he gets thrown into a new position and been fine.
Luis Robert : Signed thru 2025, 6 yrs/$50M (20-25) & 26-27 team option
To brewers for Jackson chourio
What team says no
Luis Robert: Signed thru 2025, 6 yrs/$50M
(20-25) & 26-27 team option
To brewers for Jackson chourig
What team says no
CWS don’t even pick up the phone…
Brewers wouldn’t even make the phone call
Eloy Jimenez is highly overrated; due to extensive, yearly injuries, he’s essentially a highly paid, part time, DH type player who gets injured whenever he runs full speed. I’m not sure why any team would consider him “untouchable”.
All this WS “untouchable” stuff is ridiculous; hopefully, the White Sox are just playing chess and trying to drive up the trading price of their players. If they truly feel they have all these “untouchable” players on a last place team in the worst division in MLB, their front office is most likely insane or on serious mind-bending drugs.
They are not last place, give KC the respect they deserve, it’s really hard to be THAT bad.
If Vaughn and Sheets are the future 1B- why is Grandal playing 1B the last couple of games? Showcasing him / or just don’t want him behind the plate?
Because Vaughn was injured and no one trusts Sheets to start a game. Also Pedro doesn’t believe a catcher needs to be on the bench. He plays 2 all the time. He used 3 about every game when Perez was up.
Both teams are also interested in Jose Jimenez…
imho Eloy would do well on a team like the Brewers (or Rays) that swap guys in and out regularly. He needs days off here and there to minimize his injury risk. In other words he’d be overall healthier on a team with some half-decent depth behind him, which is something the White Sox never ever have.
You only acquire Eloy if the price is right and also if you accept the fact that he is a DH and a DH only because if you put him in the field you’ll be putting him on the shelf
All I heard last year was how great the White Sox would be without that alcoholic has-been Tony LaRussa as manager. What is the excuse this season?
In regards to Gavin Sheets status, he is extremely overrated by Sox management. Terrible fielder, not much of a hitter. 2b replacement is a must. Nobody in minors ready for that spot. Remliard is a utility at best. Elvis , enough said. Ready for Montgomery at SS. Anderson is a mess. Look forward to the new catchers.
How many corner OFs do the Marlins need?