Former Cubs top prospect is hanging by a thread, looking lost at Triple-A

How quickly Chicago Cubs fans forgot about Eloy Jiménez.

When Jiménez made his initial ascent toward the Major League level, it was looking like the Cubs had made a significant whiff with their 2017 trade with the White Sox. Of course, the deal was where the Cubs sent Jiménez and Dylan Cease, among other prospects, to the White Sox for starting pitcher Jose Quintana.

In his early seasons with the White Sox, between 2019 and 2022, Jiménez looked like the power hitter the Cubs were sorely missing from their starting lineup. What was quickly cast aside in the anger of Cubs fans over the team trading away Jiménez was the reason the Cubs made the decision to trade their former top prospect.

Sure, Quintanta was an intriguing target for the Cubs in 2017, but the front office had concerns over the slugging prospect’s durability. Those concerns have been validated over the course of Jiménez’s career.

Jiménez has only played in 100 games in a season twice over the course of his 6 seasons at the Major League level. Beyond that, the former Cubs’ prospect has never played in over 125 games in a Major League season.

After being traded by the White Sox to the Baltimore Orioles last season at the Trade Deadline, Jiménez inked a minor-league with the Tampa Bay Rays this past offseason.

Jiménez opened the season with the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate but has struggled considerably. Entering play on Tuesday, Jiménez is boasting a forgettable .232/.308/.337/76wRC+ at the Triple-A level this season.

Eloy Jiménez’s fall off sheds the infamous Cubs’ 2017 trade in a different light

Jiménez’s decline was part of a larger issue the White Sox had with their contention window. Their core players never developed further once they reached the Major League level, and once the injuries started, it was a very rapid regression.

Of course, there will always be regret from the Cubs for giving up Cease. Cease remains one of the best starting pitchers in all of Major League Baseball. Cease is the exact pitcher the Cubs could use in their rotation this season but it remains highly unlikely the San Diego Padres will have him on the trade block.