One of the more surprising moves at the trade deadline was the Eloy Jimenez trade, as many people believed that there was no market for Eloy. However, that wasn’t the case, as the White Sox were able to trade him to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league relief pitcher Trey McGough.
At the time, it didn’t really matter what the return was, as the fact the White Sox were able to get anything was surprising. On top of that, the White Sox won’t have to pay the buyout on Jimenez’s contract, as he was not going to be on the team next year.
As we take a look back on the trade to see how it has aged to this point, it seems that this was one of the best moves by Chris Getz at the deadline, as Eloy Jimenez is not even on the major league roster for the Baltimore Orioles.
Somehow, since the trade, Eloy Jimenez has been worse, breaking the narrative that players get better when they leave the White Sox. In 95 at-bats for Jimenez in an Orioles uniform, he hit just .232 with a .270 OBP. He hit just one homerun and added just seven RBIs. Since the Orioles are in the midst of a playoff push, they figured they needed someone who could do better, as the Orioles optioned him to AAA.
This move is slightly shocking, as I can’t imagine many people predicting that Eloy would be optioned to the minor leagues, especially after a team trades an asset for him at the deadline. This was a very bad trade for the Orioles, but besides Eloy’s performance, this trade has aged very well for the White Sox.
In exchange for Eloy, the White Sox received reliever Trey McGough. At the time of the trade, McGough had a very solid 2.08 ERA in AAA for the Orioles, as he had 31 strikeouts in 34.1 innings. However, he did walk a lot of batters, as he had 15 walks in that timeframe.
However, since the trade, McGough has pitched even better. This is a good sign, as it is nice to see players do better on the White Sox, as it seems to rarely happen.
In 27.1 innings for the Charlotte Knights, he has a very good 1.98 ERA. His K/9 has increased, as he has 33 strikeouts in those innings. He’s also improved his command, as he has walked just eight batters in those 27.1 innings.
McGough may prove to be a valuable bullpen piece for the White Sox, as he is likely to be with the team in 2025. I was surprised that he wasn’t a September call up, however, he will have a good chance to make the team out of Spring Training next season.
I would grade this trade as an A for the White Sox, as they likely got a serviceable reliever for Eloy, while Eloy has been optioned to the minor leagues in Baltimore. This was the best outcome and hopefully McGough proves himself at the major league level next year.
