The reported deal nearing completion between the White Sox and Eloy Jimenez is much more about having him in a White Sox uniform for the better part of the next decade than it is about having him in a White Sox uniform next week.
But the reported six-year contract that could last eight years, thanks to a couple of team options, would throw the whole service-time issue out the window. There would be no need to delay Jimenez's debut in order to guarantee an extra year of club control. That control is built into the contract.