Luis Robert got the Eloy Jiménez deal.
Actually, it's better. Robert beat it both in terms of dollars (more) and drama (less).
Bob Nightengale and Jeff Passan broke individual parts of the deal -- and credit to James Fox at FutureSox to alerting everybody to initial discussions -- but the overview of the deal is as follows: $50 million guaranteed over six years, followed by two club options that make it potentially worth $90 million.
If these numbers hold, Robert will top Jiménez in guaranteed money (Jiménez's was for $43 million) and potential earnings (Jimenez's tops out at $75 million).
Dollars aside, Robert's deal is more seamless because he signed before spring training, whereas Jiménez's deal was struck during the second half of March. The White Sox won't have to pretend that Robert isn't one of the three best outfield options for the sake of service-time manipulation or hardline negotiations, and fans won't have to argue with each other over alleged virtues of dealing in bad faith.
The only downside is on Robert's end, because if he's somehow able to max out his skills as a player, he won't be able to cash in on all of it. That said, this isn't an Evan White or Scott Kingery deal. Like Jiménez, he did fairly well for himself for a guy with zero major league plate appearances, forcing the club to accept a little bit of risk for the chance at a large payoff.
Update: It's official. In addendum to the above numbers, the White Sox announced that Robert will wear No. 88, and Tayron Guerrero was designated for assignment to open the roster spot. Perhaps this process explains why Edwin Encarnación's deal isn't been announced yet.
