Former Orioles' DH inks surprise minor league deal with division rival

As we sit firmly in the holiday season and approach the new year, the Baltimore Orioles' roster remains unfinished. GM Mike Elias is sure to make at least another couple moves before the team heads to Sarasota for spring training, but the team has remained quiet as the hot stove has kicked on high right before Christmas.

There was a flurry of moves late Sunday night and into Monday morning that saw a couple potential Orioles targets come off both the free agent board and the trade market. Another move, involving a former Orioles' hitter, was a bit of a shock to see on Monday afternoon.

As reported by Jesse Rogers of ESPN, 2024 trade deadline acquisition Eloy Jimenez is heading to Tampa, of all places, on a surprising one-year, minor league deal. He was once a top prospect and has had helium and potential for his entire career. The Orioles had parted ways with Jimenez earlier this offseason after they chose to decline his $16.5 million contract option for 2025.

Former Orioles' DH Eloy Jimenez accepts minor league deal with Tampa

When Jimenez came to Baltimore from Chicago, O's manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that they were hoping they could find a way to get Jimenez on a hot streak and that he'd be a contributor down the stretch. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The lefty hit just .232/.270/.316 after the trade, knocking just one home run and five doubles in 100 plate appearances.

In total, Jimenez has been a much better player throughout his career than what we saw in Baltimore. He has a career 112 wRC+, making him 12% better than league average at the plate, but his wRC+ in Baltimore was a paltry 69. He did get a bit unlucky on contact in 2024, and he still hits the ball about as hard as anyone else out there, so it's possible that Tampa can find a way to get him turned back around.

The biggest thing for Jimenez will be whether or not he can stay healthy for an entire season. He's surpassed the 100 game mark just twice in his career, and topped out at 122 games played back in 2019. A slight tweak in his approach and a full season's worth of at-bats could make this a sneaky good deal for the Rays.

To make matters a bit worse for the Orioles, the guy they sent to Chicago, LHP Trey McGough, was stellar after the trade. McGough pitched to a 1.98 ERA in 27 innings with Chicago's Triple-A club, the Charlotte Knights. The lefty looks poised to compete for a major league job in the spring. He'll be helped by the fact that Chicago's bullpen is sub-par.