MLB trade grades: Orioles answer outfield woes by adding former White Sox silver slugger
With less than 20 minutes to go before the MLB trade deadline Tuesday afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles continued to buy, striking a deal with the Chicago White Sox for former silver slugger Eloy Jimenez.
Should he stay healthy, it’s a move that certainly helps the Orioles down the stretch, but Jimenez has registered just 65 games on the season, and has only topped 120 games twice throughout his six-year tenure on the southside of Chicago.
Jimenez won his one and only silver slugger award in 2020 in the shortened season when he launched 14 long balls, but he’s had a hard time matching that same output since. He currently owns a .240/.297/.345 slash in 229 at-bats this year, along with just five home runs and 18 driven in.
The Orioles are banking here on a healthy run to help close out 2024, and as it turns out, they didn’t have to give up much to acquire his services:
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MLB trade grades: Orioles add a slugger with former silver slugger Eloy Jimenez
Baltimore trade
With the White Sox unwilling to eat the remainder of Jimenez’ $13 million annual salary between this season and next, they were never going to get anybody notable in return from Baltimore’s stacked farm system.
If I’m Mike Elias and the Orioles front office, I’m happy to keep my farm intact and only have to pay Jimenez while giving up just one low level prospect whose road to MLB is a difficult one in Baltimore’s system.
The White Sox wanted it this way, as it will help a team with nothing to play for shed salary and start fresh next season. The Sox get salary-relief, and the O’s get some more pop in their lineup. All things considered, it’s not a bad swap.
This poses little risk for the Orioles, other than salary implications. IF Jimenez stays healthy, he can still be a weapon in any team’s lineup, and, if not, it didn’t hurt the Orioles’ tantalizing farm system at all.
Neither team lost this trade, in my opinion. Jimenez’ health risks are too great to dedicate any real amount of salary to for a dreadful team like the White Sox. You’re essentially paying a guy for nothing. However, if Jimenez can swing it the way that made him become a top international signing several years ago, it will be a resounding win for the Orioles at the end of the year.
Orioles trade grade: B-
White Sox trade grade: B
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