Could the Athletics move on from Dany Jiménez?

Matthew Kalinowski | Nov 12, 2024

Jun 19, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Dany Jimenez (56) on the mound against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The A's recently traded former third-round pick Nick Allen to the Atlanta Braves for an intriguing arm at the High-A level, Jared Johnson. Could the A's be looking to trade other players that may not necessarily have a role with the club moving forward for intriguing prospects, and who may the A's trade away?

Right-handed reliever Dany Jiménez could be on the chopping block this offseason, as he is set for arbitration and estimated to fetch around one million dollars. Jiménez had been solid with the A's when he was healthy, except for this season, where his results were sporadic. He has struggled to stay healthy his entire career, with 34.1 innings being his career high at the major league level, and that came in his first season with the A's back in 2022.

The Athletics could look to trade Jiménez and his upcoming payday to a team in need of relief pitching. Many teams could find value in Jiménez, an experienced arm with league-average strikeout rates and a slider that batters only hit .185 against in 2024 and .077 in 2023.

The A's already have many pitchers who will compete for 3-4 bullpen spots come the spring, not including any other pitchers they may acquire before then. Jiménez does not seem to fit in with that current group of guys who will compete. His one saving grace could be that he does have two options remaining and he's not expected to be terribly costly, so if the team is looking for depth, he fits that role. His time as a big piece of the bullpen are likely behind him in the green and gold.

Even more so now than ever, it will be challenging to sway free agents into signing with the A's, given everything going on with the team's proposed move to Las Vegas and their three to four year layover in Sacramento. Therefore, the A's front office will have to get creative when trying to upgrade their roster for the 2025 season in hopes of flirting with a .500 record or better. Jiménez could net the A's an interesting prospect that may fit better with their plans.