By Levi Weaver, Matt Gelb and C. Trent Rosecrans
The Baltimore Orioles, intent on maintaining its grip on the American League East, made a flurry of moves before Tuesday’s 6 pm ET trade deadline. In separate transactions, Baltimore added outfielder Eloy Jiménez from the Chicago White Sox, outfielder Austin Slater and infielder Livan Soto from the Cincinnati Reds and left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Philadelphia Phillies.
That late activity capped a busy day for the Orioles, who had earlier acquired lefty Trevor Rogers from the Marlins.
The rebuilding White Sox had been one of the more intriguing teams leading up to the deadline, with speculation about the future of Luis Robert Jr. and pitcher Garrett Crochet. But it was Jiménez who found a new home in Baltimore. When he’s healthy, he has, in the past, been a very good hitter. He finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2019 and won a Silver Slugger in 2020, but a cornucopia of injuries have plagued him.
This year, it was a left adductor strain and a left hamstring. The 120 games he played in 2023 were a career high, and he’s at just 65 this year. Of note: in those 65 games, he has posted a slash line of just .240/.297/.345 (.642 OPS), all of which are career lows, and in the case of slugging, drastically so. Coming into this season, his career line was .275/.324/.487 (.811 OPS).
He’ll also be a free agent at the end of this season if the Orioles decide — they’ll hold team options for 2025-26.
For Jiménez, the White Sox received a minor-league reliever in lefty Trey McGough from the Orioles, though the primary incentive in the deal may be financial. Jiménez is owed $13 million this season.
The #WhiteSox have acquired left-handed pitcher Trey McGough from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jiménez. pic.twitter.com/GzGwRtYiUy
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 30, 2024
The Orioles also added Slater, whose tenure with the Reds lasted less than a month. He was acquired on July 7 for Alex Young on July 7, when the team was at its most desperate for outfielders following injuries to Nick Martini and TJ Friedl. Slater played in just eight games in his time with the Reds, including four starts in center field. Friedl returned from the IL last week and the team also added centerfielder Joey Wiemer in the trade that sent starter Frankie Montas to Milwaukee. Wiemer was scheduled to report to Triple A Louisville, but could have a spot with the big-league team after the trade of Slater.
Slater was 2-for-18 with the Reds with both hits going for singles.
Livan Soto, the infielder, had been designated for assignment earlier in the day. It’s the third time the Orioles have acquired him this year. Baltimore selected him off of waivers from the Angels in February, and then the Angels claimed him off of waivers later that month. The Orioles claimed him off of waivers in April, he played one game for them, and then was selected off of waivers by the Reds on April 19. He spent much of the season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville.
The Orioles also acquired the left-handed Gregory Soto from the Phillies with just minutes away from the deadline. Soto has a 4.08 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings this season
It’s an unceremonious end to Soto’s time in Philadelphia. The Phillies had sought bigger chances for Soto after the All-Star break to see how he could handle them. He struggled. The Phillies had grown frustrated with Soto’s inability to throw strikes. He was not among the club’s trusted relievers.
Seth Johnson, a 25-year-old righty starter who was at Double A in the Orioles system, is part of the return for Soto. The former first-round pick has a 2.63 ERA in 65 innings with Double-A Bowie this season. Johnson will go on the 40-man roster and becomes rotation depth.
Moises Chace, a 21-year-old righty, is also part of the package for Soto. Chance had struck out 76 and walked 30 in 52 innings at High-A Aberdeen. He had a 3.46 ERA there. His fastball sits 93-95 mph and tops out at 97, according to an American League scout. He has a strong changeup and is working on a slider.
(Photo of Eloy Jiménez: Ron Schwane / Getty Images)
