Chicago White Sox: Eloy Jimenez is here to stay

The Chicago White Sox are in the next phase of their well-known rebuild. Now their prospects are on the rise and this one leads the pack.

The Chicago White Sox made a commitment to make a change to the way they do things when they traded a hall of fame pitcher in his prime in 2016. The Chris Sale trade changed everything. They are no longer that team that signs a bunch of former stars past their prime looking to win 82 games and be the definition of mediocre. They have stripped the roster to the bone and it has shown in their record over the last two seasons.

In 2017 they traded their other all-star pitcher Jose Quintana to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for a few prospects. One of those prospects seems to lead the pack of all the talent that the White Sox have acquired and his name is Eloy Jiminez. This guy is unbelievable and his commitment to the White Sox and their commitment to him shows because they gave him a large contract extension before he ever stepped on a Major League field in a game that counts.

With all of the contracts that have been signed this season by guys resigning with their teams and free agents alike, it is nice that the White Sox feel this strongly that this is their star player and committed to him. The deal is a six-year deal worth $43 million dollars. This could turn out to be a very nice value for the White Sox if Jiminez reaches his full potential.

Jiminez is likely going to be an outfielder in Chicago and with guys surrounding him looking to also take the next step like Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez they will look to develop as an organization with him leading the way. If he turns into an MVP caliber player within a few years like Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts or Nolan Arenado then this could turn out to be an absolute steal with the money he’ll actually be worth after this contract is over.

This deal also has two club options that could lead to it lasting through the 2026 season. That is great value for a guy who they project to be a top tier MLB player. If Michael Kopech and Dylan Cease turn out to be a front end of the rotation type guys and all the players mentioned above reach their full potential then the White Sox could start getting good quickly.

In 2018 Jiminez had an outstanding season in the Minors, spending half of the season in AA and the other half in AAA ball. If this translates into great play in Major League Baseball, this team is in for a fun ride with a guy they acquired in a trade with the team they share a city in the Chicago Cubs. This is a great contract for both parties. They appear very committed to each other and that is a beautiful thing.