Blue Jays bringing back a former Silver Slugger on a minor league deal

A depth signing by Toronto could be a huge opportunity for the one-time top prospect.
Aug 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Eloy Jimenez (72) celebrates his solo home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Aug 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Eloy Jimenez (72) celebrates his solo home run in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It's not the outfielder most fans were expecting the Toronto Blue Jays to sign but it is a depth move that could end up having a big impact down the road. The Blue Jays reportedly agreed to a minor league contract with a former top prospect, Eloy Jiménez. The 29-year-old right-handed hitting Jiménez has already spent time in the Blue Jays system and now has a chance to get back to the big leagues in a Blue Jays uniform.

Blue Jays giving a former top prospect a chance to get back to the big leagues

Jiménez began last season with the Tampa Bay Rays, playing 40 games with Triple-A Durham before suffering an injury. He hit .278/.335/.397 with three home runs before he was placed on the injured list with Achilles tendinitis in the middle of May. He was released in July before joining the Blue Jays in August. He only got into six games before the season came to an end and he hit .167 with Triple-A Buffalo.

In six seasons at the major league level, Jiménez is a career .269/.318/.462 with an OPS of .780. He's hit 95 home runs and has 528 hits in 534 games played. Jiménez made his debut in 2019 with the Chicago White Sox as a 22-year-old. He hit 31 home runs and had an OPS of .828. He followed that up with another good year in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, winning a Silver Slugger award.

Despite the injuries, when Jiménez has managed to stay on the field he has been productive. Between 2021-2023 he was worth 3.1 bWAR over 259 games played, hitting 44 home runs and a 115 OPS+. But in 2024 didn't have a great start to the season with a -0.5 bWAR with the White Sox in 65 games and was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. In 33 games he continued to struggle, hitting just five home runs, with an OPS of .586.

A fully healthy Jiménez has proven time and time again that when he's healthy, he can be a solid contributor at the big league level. Still just 29-years-old, this is a minor league signing that doesn't have a downside for the Blue Jays. Jiménez would be pretty far down the depth chart behind an already loaded Blue Jays outfield - but nobody expected Eric Lauer to have the season he had in last year after he signed a minor league deal in the spring of 2025. So for the Blue Jays this is a safe play to bring Jiménez into the fold to see if he could recapture some of what made him such a highly touted prospect.

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