Eloy Jimenez extension White Sox

The White Sox are in the process of finalizing a long-term deal with Eloy Jimenez, a highly-praised field prospect, a source told Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com on Wednesday. The club has not confirmed the deal, which is expected to be $ 77.5 million over eight years (including two club options) and contain

The White Sox are in the process of finalizing a long-term deal with Eloy Jimenez, a highly-praised field prospect, a source told Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com on Wednesday. The club has not confirmed the deal, which should reach a maximum of $ 77.5 million over eight years (including two club options) and contain a signing bonus of $ 2.5 million. dollars, depending on the source. The transaction will guarantee Jimenez $ 43 million, a source told Ken Rosenthal, an MLB network insider.

Getting an agreement with Jimenez would now mean that the 22-year-old players are part of the team's lineup for the opening day, although it has not yet appeared in the majors and that he was opted for Triple-A Charlotte on March 12th. Jimenez is MLB Pipeline ranks third in hopes of the match, behind only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres.

It is rare for a player to sign a contract of this type prior to his Major League debut, and the Jimenez deal will easily break a record for a person without MLB service time. Phillies player Scott Kingery was the second to win this feat last March, signing a $ 24 million six-year contract, which also included three club options and a total value of $ 42 million. Kingery struggled as a rookie in 2018, beating .226 / .267 / .338 in 147 games.

The only other contract of this type was signed by first-baseman Jon Singleton, who signed a $ 10 million five-year contract with the Astros in June 2014. Singleton played only 114 games with Majors and posted an OPS of .621.

However, the pedigree of Jimenez hopes will give the White Sox confidence in its ability to handle the major leagues. The 6-foot-4 player shared 2018 between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, beating a combined .337 / .384 / .577 total with 22 home runs in 108 games. He has a career line of .311 / .359 / .519 in minors.

The White Sox acquired the Cubs slugger in July 2017 as part of the deal that sent pitcher Jose Quintana north of Chicago.

"I do not want to speculate, it's above my position," said White Sox director Rick Renteria. "It would be a positive message. But honestly, we're just trying to help the guys we have here in the camp, and we're going to stop there. We'll see how it goes. You probably know it before me.

"The child came out and did everything we wanted in the spring. He tries to take his time in the minor leagues. Once again, of all that I have said and seen in the past, he is a rather polite child. He was very impressive. He impressed all members of the organization, from the minor leagues to us. I do not know if there is anything more to say about him. He has a lot to offer and he is still working on a lot of things. Hope we will find solutions. "