The Orioles introduced that first baseman Ryan Mountcastle has been reinstated from the 10-day injured checklist. Designated hitter/outfielder Eloy Jiménez was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk as a corresponding transfer. Jiménez has greater than 5 years of main league service time and subsequently can’t be optioned with out his consent, so he presumably has agreed to this transfer. The membership additionally introduced that right-hander Craig Kimbrel, who was designated for project final week, has been launched.
Jiménez was acquired from the White Sox on the deadline in a buy-low transfer. From 2019 by way of 2023, he had hit .275/.324/.487 for the White Sox, with that manufacturing translating to a 118 wRC+. Mounting accidents have been turning into a rising concern however he had usually hit when on the sphere.
Right here in 2024, the injury-prone label acquired branded somewhat deeper. He twice went on the IL within the first couple of months of the season, as soon as as a result of a left adductor pressure and one other for a left hamstring pressure. His manufacturing had additionally slipped, as he was hitting .240/.297/.345 for an 82 wRC+ when the Orioles traded for him, sending minor league reliever Trey McGough the opposite method.
The change of surroundings hasn’t helped, as Jiménez has hit .232/.270/.316 for a 68 wRC+ since coming to Baltimore. The membership had been battling quite a few place participant accidents in latest weeks however every of Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías and now Mountcastle have returned to the energetic roster previously few days, which has squeezed Jiménez from the roster.
Although he has the correct to reject an elective project, it’s comprehensible why he would settle for. There’s solely a handful of days left within the season and he wouldn’t be postseason eligible with another membership at this level. Relatively than search for different alternatives, he’ll maintain his 40-man roster spot with the O’s and hope to have the ability to contribute within the membership’s postseason run sooner or later. He got here into the marketing campaign with precisely 5 years of service time and already has sufficient in 2024 so as to add one other full season to that.
His contract has a $16.5MM choice for 2025 with a $3MM buyout that the O’s are certain to say no after a tough season from Jiménez. As a part of the commerce, the White Sox are overlaying half of that buyout. That can ship him to free company the place he can be seeking to market himself as a bounceback candidate. It’s clearly been a tough season however he’s nonetheless pretty younger, turning 28 in November, and has a robust pre-2024 monitor file.
As for Kimbrel, a launch was the anticipated final result after he was designated for project final week. He wouldn’t have been postseason eligible with any membership claiming him off waivers. Even grabbing him for just a few common season video games can be expensive as his contract has a $1MM buyout on a 2025 membership choice. That will be on high of the roughly $400K of his $12MM wage that’s nonetheless to be paid out within the remaining week of this season.
Given his 5.33 earned run common on the 12 months, no membership was going to pay that value. As a veteran with years of service time, he has the correct to reject an outright project, so the O’s have merely skipped the formalities and let him go.
Will probably be an attention-grabbing offseason for Kimbrel, who’s now 36 years outdated and coming off a tough exhibiting. Some might anticipate him to name it a profession however he has come again from down years earlier than. In each 2019 and 2020, he posted an ERA north of 5.00, however bounced again with a 2.21 ERA in 2021. He then had two extra stable seasons earlier than his 2024 struggles. Some golf equipment could also be excited by taking a flier and hoping for an additional comeback, although he seemingly received’t be the primary alternative of membership’s with championship aspirations.
