Following up: Eloy Jimenez’s extension official, Chris Sale’s imminent
The White Sox formally announced Eloy Jimenez’s six-to-eight-year extension this afternoon, with Rick Hahn scheduled to answer questions about it Saturday morning at Camelback Ranch.
Jimenez receives a $5 million signing bonus, which is one way the White Sox can make use of spending next to nothing on their 2019 payroll. The structure:
- 2019: $1 million
- 2020: $1.5 million
- 2021: $3.5 million
- 2022: $6.5 million
- 2023: $9.5 million
- 2024: $13 million
- 2025: $16.5 million (club option)
- 2026: $18.5 million (club option)
Both option years have a $3 million buyout.
The upfront $5 million puts Jimenez ahead of the game through the first four years of the deal. It’s only until 2023 when the savings could really show up for the White Sox, especially since Jimenez would’ve been eligible for four years of arbitration instead of three. Of course, this all assumes that the arbitration process resembles the present one when 2023 rolls around. For the sake of fans and future prospects, one hopes these service time arguments will come to an abrupt end.
It’s a little unfortunate that Jimenez had to put a cap on his future earnings in order to make it to that majors on a timeline closer to the one his talent dictates, but he did make the White Sox assume some risk along the way.
* * * * * * * * *
After spending the last several years wearing the tag of baseball’s biggest bargain with the team-friendliest contract, Chris Sale is finally going to get paid.
Like just about everybody else in this day and age, he needed to sign a spring extension to do it, but the Red Sox are on the verge of locking him up for $145 million over five years.
Sale was a healthy scratch for his start today, most likely because he was undergoing said physical. Assuming it goes through, the 2019-20 free agent class thins out further, and it’ll also just about settle the Hall of Fame cap debate.
Author
To join the “where were you the last time Chris Sale was a healthy scratch?” cavalcade, I was at a game in Kansas City. I kept obsessively checking twitter to see if the big trade finally went through, only to have the weirdest details of the weirdest clubhouse story imaginable slowly begin to leak out.
It’s a shame, and an indictment, that the best pitcher the White Sox have had will go into the hall wearing another club’s cap.
Last time Sale was a healthy scratch I was going to my dear friend from work wedding. Where there were a lot of cub fans talking shit all night. Good on him to get that big coin
I can’t help but maintain a certain respect for Chris Sale’s cutting of those awful throwback jerseys. They didn’t have the cut and fit of the original jerseys (which actually looked pretty good) and they made the Sox look like clowns when playing in them.
I wanted to see if they tailored them any better, since they supposedly took the players’ complaints into account. Only Adam Eaton can say.
I’m surprised he’ll still be making less than Price per year. Price has one year of WAR over 5 in his career – Sale has 6. Where’s a Boras when you need him?
He should sport a generic “SOX” cap for HOF.
Yeah, it’s silly from that perspective, but if he waits until free agency he’s another year older and last season he got shut down for almost a month. If he shows any decline at all he’d get murdered in free agency in the current environment. Combined with his career earnings to date, he’ll retire with over $200 million in earnings, so despite being a relative steal he’s made out quite well for himself.
The Red Sox have obvious advantages over our Sox, too. Bigger market, more exposure for Cy Young consideration, playoffs almost every year and realistic WS hopes.
He doesn’t make this deal with the White Sox.
Let’s be honest, if it was Williams and Hahn calling to offer $300 million his agent wouldn’t even be picking up the phone to hear it. That ship sailed in 2016.
I hear you. Ship “Saled.”
Verlander – he gone!
He absolutely would sign in heartbeat if they offered him 300M lol dont be ridiculous.