MLB free agency has finally begun to accelerate over the past week, as several of the biggest remaining names on the market have made long-awaited decisions about where they will play next season.
After months of speculation, hesitation, and quiet negotiations, the offseason has entered its most revealing phase.
This is the point where opportunity, leverage, and timing begin to separate careers.
While marquee signings dominate national headlines, there is another layer of free agency that often tells a deeper story—where former stars, injury-plagued talents, and once-core contributors search for a second act.
That reality has been especially visible for fans of the Chicago White Sox.
As of this week, the White Sox are approaching a full month since their last major league free-agent signing.
The inactivity has not gone unnoticed, particularly given how many roster holes still remain.
While additional moves are expected in the coming weeks, the silence has already shifted attention elsewhere—toward familiar names now wearing different uniforms.
Sometimes, the most interesting offseason stories are not about who your team signs, but where former players land.
For White Sox fans, this winter has been filled with that exact curiosity.
Several former South Siders remain on the open market, and a few are positioned to secure meaningful deals as teams look to add depth, upside, or reclamation projects.
One such name is Lucas Giolito, who could still significantly boost his value before Opening Day.
But earlier this week, another familiar face finally found a new home.
The Toronto Blue Jays officially announced they have signed former White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiménez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
It was not a headline-grabbing move, but it was one filled with meaning.
Toronto confirmed the signing as part of a larger group of minor league additions, a common but critical strategy for contenders looking to strengthen roster depth without sacrificing flexibility.
Alongside Jiménez, the Blue Jays also signed several other players to minor league deals, including infielders and pitchers, all invited to compete for roster spots in camp.
For Jiménez, however, this opportunity carries far more weight than a standard non-roster invitation.
It represents a crossroads moment in his career.
From a fit perspective, Toronto is a strong landing spot.
The Blue Jays are widely expected to contend deep into October next season.
They possess a talented, veteran-heavy roster capable of competing for a World Series.
But that strength also creates immediate pressure.
Breaking camp with the major league club will be an uphill battle for Jiménez.
There will be no guaranteed at-bats and no patience extended without performance.
The recent past explains why.
Jiménez did not appear in a major league game last season.
Instead, he spent the year with the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Across 54 games at that level, he hit .246 with a .330 on-base percentage.
He added just three home runs and 30 RBIs.
For a player once projected as a middle-of-the-order cornerstone, those numbers are sobering.
Triple-A pitching is where stars are supposed to dominate, not survive.
That season was not what Jiménez—or any evaluator—was hoping to see.
At 28 years old at the time, he should have been forcing his way back into a big-league lineup.
Instead, his production raised new questions about health, timing, and whether the power that once defined his game could fully return.
Jiménez last appeared in a major league game in 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles.
He joined Baltimore at the trade deadline after being acquired from the White Sox.
In 33 games with the Orioles, he hit .232 with one home run and seven RBIs across 95 at-bats.
The sample size was small, but it did little to reignite the momentum he once carried.
By the end of that season, Jiménez was no longer viewed as a lock for everyday playing time anywhere.
And yet, the belief in his talent has never completely disappeared.
Jiménez is still just 29 years old.
He is not a veteran nearing the end of his career.
He is a former elite prospect whose prime years were repeatedly interrupted by injury.
That distinction matters.
It was not long ago that Jiménez looked like one of baseball’s brightest young sluggers.
During his rookie season in 2019, he launched 31 home runs and announced himself as a foundational bat for the White Sox.
The power was real.
The swing was effortless.
The confidence was undeniable.
At the time, he appeared destined to anchor lineups for a decade.
But staying on the field proved to be the biggest obstacle.
Injuries disrupted his rhythm year after year.
Each setback stalled his development.
Each return required another adjustment period.
Consistency—the one thing great hitters need most—remained elusive.
Now, in Toronto, Jiménez gets a clean slate.
There are no expectations tied to his past contracts.
No emotional baggage from previous organizations.
No guarantees.
Only opportunity.
For the Blue Jays, this is a low-risk move with potentially high reward.
If Jiménez rediscover even a portion of his former power, he becomes valuable depth for a team with championship aspirations.
If he does not, the organization loses little more than a Spring Training roster spot.
That balance is exactly what contenders look for in January.
For Jiménez, however, the stakes are far higher.
This is not about making a roster for pride alone.
This is about re-establishing himself as a major league player.
This is about proving that the talent scouts once raved about still exists.
This is about extending a career that once looked limitless.
Spring Training will be decisive.
Every at-bat will matter.
Every ball hit hard will be noted.
Every missed opportunity will carry weight.
There are no long runways left.
Still, there is reason for optimism.
Power hitters often need only one healthy stretch to reset their trajectory.
A new environment can unlock confidence that has been dormant.
And Toronto offers a competitive atmosphere where meaningful baseball is played deep into the season.
For White Sox fans, watching Jiménez in a Blue Jays uniform will likely stir mixed emotions.
There will be frustration about what could have been.
There will be hope that he finally puts it together.
And there will be curiosity about whether a former cornerstone can still contribute on the sport’s biggest stage.
Eloy Jiménez has all the talent in the world.
What he needs now is health, rhythm, and opportunity.
Toronto has offered the last of those.
The rest is up to him.
