The Blue Jays have signed Eloy Jimenez to a minor league contract, according to reporter Mike Rodriguez. Jimenez’s latest deal with the Jays includes an invitation to Toronto’s Major League spring camp.
After signing a minors deal with Toronto right at the end of August, Jimenez only got into six games with Triple-A Buffalo, and he had a .508 OPS over 21 trips to the plate. This gave Jimenez an overall .247/.326/.347 slash line in 215 plate appearances in the Jays’ and Rays’ farm systems, without any games played at the Major League level.
Once a feared power bat who signed a six-year, $43MM deal with the White Sox before ever appearing in a big league game, Jimenez somewhat lived up to that potential by hitting .275/.324/.487 with 89 homers over 1777 PA during the 2019-23 seasons. However, Jimenez was set back by a laundry list of injuries, and his 122 games played in 2019 remains his highest game total in a regulation-length season. The 2024 season was a total calamity for Jimenez, as he hit .238/.289/.336 over 349 PA while missing time with an adductor strain and a hamstring strain.
The White Sox gave up on Jimenez by dealing him to the Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline, and Baltimore unsurprisingly declined a $16.5MM club option on the former slugger for the 2025 season. Jimenez then landed in Tampa Bay last winter on a minors deal, but between more injury woes and his uninspiring numbers, the Rays released him last July.
Jimenez is still only 29 years old, and is still posting decent hard-hit ball numbers and exit velocities. Considering his past history, there’s no risk for the Blue Jays in taking a more extended look at Jimenez in camp to see if a late-career turn-around is possible, even if it doesn’t seem likely Jimenez will be able to crack Toronto’s crowded roster. His best-case scenario might be a big Spring Training performance, and then heading to another interested team via trade or an opt-out in his contract at the end of camp.
This is a great move. No risk, and high potential rewards.
Dude is washed up lol. He made 43 mil. He’s content in life
Good dude, fun with fans, enjoy an early retirement
He was part of the Cancer in Chicago. Roberts, Moncada, Anderson, and Jimenez all spent more time on the IL than the field. Once they learned they could milk injuries, the clubhouse culture evaporated. Avoid with a 10 foot pole!!!
stymee
“learned they could milk injuries”
First, what medical experience do you have to make this claim?
Second, what specific knowledge of these players and their injuries do you have to make this claim?
I’m like 95% sure you have none of the first
And all but 100% sure you have none of the second
Who’s Roberts? Tony? Bob? Robin? Everything you need to know about stymee’s credibility in a nutshell
The guy is washed up long ago. These are the comments made in Jan. In a few weeks he is dropped.
@Astros What potential? He has not shown any truly high potential im any season that did not have a juiced ball. There have been 6 seasons since the juiced ball year, stats such as Eloy’s are an enormous red flag to put little stock on 2019 #s.
Didn’t know he was even with the blue Jays organization
Maybe he goes to Buffalo and hits 25-30 homers. Good depth signing.
Nothing lost here.
Very nice guy, read an article about him one about how he rescued an entire coterie of goats from slaughter and made them ambassadors.
Wouldn’t a coterie of goats be called a goaterie?
Dang that’s good.
That might be the most random thing I have heard today… or ever? lol
Ambassadors? Sounds like most Trump appointments.
More qualified than the current embassy staff
If you look at his numbers its insane hes not on an mlb team.
If you look at his numbers , you can see the guy has hit 12 HR in his last 800 at bats and his career WAR is 5.3. ALways hurt. He wont make it.
It’s not insane at all. He pounds balls into the dirt and is made of glass.
Shame to see him struggle so much he did slightly better in winter ball this year especially lately so maybe he can figure things out next year.
I would love to see him get it together in Buffalo and possibly get a call up!
Pleased we’re still part of his journey.
More guys should be like him, happy go lucky, loves to rev up the fans pre game
Is he better than Yoan Moncada?
Yo does have the music video w the hot chix tho. And made the World Baseball classic all star team
Once seemed to be on his way, but after injuries, lost his way. Hope he gets back to what he was or close to it.
White Sox Legend!!!
*Dominican
Looks like I picked the wrong day to quit..k
He should try to go to NPB and get some every day reps assuming he can stay healthy enough to do so.
Didn’t he used to be the can’t miss #1 prospect?
Can’t miss bat maybe. But as a 23yr old, it widely known he could never play the field
Ahh Welcome to the suck team
What makes you think he will be dealt to yours?
Lol
Hope he invested what he got out of that $43m cause that is what he will need to live the high life for a long time. His game was awful in minors.
Amazing how this guy has managed to stay afloat in the majors.
Well, no such thing as a bad minor league signing. Worst case, he sucks in Buffalo.
@iains 2
Yep. If he sucks bad enough to get cut, it’s a rounding error on the overall budget.
Thats what he said he was traded from the Cubs the The White Sox
The article cites his hard hit rate but not his ground ball rate, which has been a huge problem for him.
So many leg injuries, at some point he just stopped driving the ball in the air with any authority.
It’s like Yandy Diaz without the plate discipline. But if you can get the intercept point and launch angles tweaked, then the still elite bat speed could unlock something. Remember those seasons when Yandy and Yelich hit the ball in the air a little more? Their performance took off. Vlad in the regular season had a bit of the lunging forward thing leading to too many grounders and then after the time off with the WC round bye, came out in the postseason staying behind the ball and drove it in the air. Probably not going to fix Eloy in a week like that, but it seems like it’s possible to unlock it. I do think the plate discipline is a component of it though. What you swing at is going to affect angles and I feel like it’s rarer to see players make discipline gains than other types of changes. Especially without sacrificing quality of contact. But maybe there’s enough improvement possible to get him back to the majors. Even if it’s just as a right handed bench bat. It feels like the league is full of platoon profiled left handed OFs. A guy like Jimenez could go down into the cages during a game and face the other team’s left handed relievers on the Trajekt. I feel like that’s the biggest advantage that Trajekt technology gives teams. The bench bats can prepare for specific matchups.
More of that minor league signing magic I come to this site for!! Oh, yeah!
It seemed last year in AAA that it was still too much of a rush to have him back. Great young man needs time to get healthy. Nothing wrong with ‘A’ ball and slowly working back up.
Good luck Eloy!
29 going on 39. There is no way this guy is 29 years old! Cuban Birth Certificate????
He’s from the Dominican not Cuba, dipshy
His maw was a big Yale fan thus the moniker. Eloy, Eloy, Bow Wow Wow. Bulldog, Bulldog, Bow Wow Wow
Dominican..but yeah. I want him to be a great player. Unfortunately he has the durability of low grade glass
Hang em up Mr. Jimenez, baseball will let you know when it’s time before you realize and admit it to yourself. Hi mom.
J84
“Hang em up Mr. Jimenez, baseball will let you know when it’s time before you realize and admit it to yourself.”
A team signing him indicates it’s not time, no?
Just can’t understand why so many baseball fans seem to hate baseball players so much
I like baseball and hate a lot of baseball players because they are bigoted. Like I think Clayton Kershaw is a POS, but I liked watching him pitch.
CF
Hating one player for a specific thing is a lot different than seeming to hate players in general.
That is true. Jump didnt say why they were anti-eloy
CF
But he was, as I pointed out, completely and obviously wrong about it.
“Hang em up Mr. Jimenez, baseball will let you know when it’s time before you realize and admit it to yourself.”
You quoted him. There’s nothing in that statement to suggest why he is doesn’t like the player. You pointed a team has interest, not why he dislikes the player
CF
Huh?
They seem to hate players in general.
Just coming in with negativity towards a player for no reason whatsoever.
Ahhh I see. I misread. Fair enough. He was, maybe Eloy stole his parking space or crop dusted him.