Blue Jays, Guardians Agree to Andrés Giménez Trade

Updated 12:31 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11

Spencer Horwitz’s stay in Cleveland was short-lived as he was flipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a trade just hours after his original move away from the Blue Jays in the Andrés Giménez trade.

The Guardians sent Horwitz to Pittsburgh in exchange for right-handed starter Luis Ortiz, along with a pair of lefty pitching prospects in Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle, the team announced on Tuesday night.

Horwitz featured in 97 games for the Blue Jays in 2024, hitting 12 HR and 40 RBI while posting a .265 AVG and 129 wRC+.

Ortiz made 37 appearances for the Pirates last season, 15 of which were starts. In 135.2 innings of work he threw to a 3.32 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and a .216 AVG against.

At just 20 years old, Kennedy spent the majority of last season in Low-A where he made 16 appearances, 15 of which were starts, and in 73.0 innings posted a 4.07 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. But he looked even more promising in the two starts he made in High-A, as in 10.2 innings he threw to an impressive 0.84 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP.

The 21-year-old Hartle was a third-round pick for the Pirates in 2024 and made just one appearance in pro-ball last season. In three seasons at the collegiate level at Wake Forest, the southpaw posted a 4.41 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 246.2 innings.

What the Pirates are Getting in Horwitz

In the earlier version of this article (read below) I outlined the upside Horwitz has as a hitter with the patient and disciplined approach he displayed in Toronto in 2024, with high walk rates and low strikeout rates.

He was shielded a bit from lefties last season hitting just .194 with a .522 OPS in 72 at-bats against them last season, but his makeup as a hitter gives the Pirates a solid foundation to work him up to face southpaws more over the six years of remaining team control they have with him.

He has the potential to be their primary first baseman for the future, which the Pirates desperately need after ranking 26th in wRC+, 24th in OPS and 23rd in AVG at the position in 2024.

But his experience at the big league level at second base as well as some recent experience in the upper minors in the corner outfield, also provides the Pittsburgh with some versatility at other positions should they need it.

What the Guardians are Getting in Return

The Guardians opted for the big league pitching and prospect return at the end of the day, adding Ortiz, Kennedy and Hartle to fold, along with outfielder Nick Mitchell whom they received from Toronto.

Ortiz is the highlight of the deal here for the Guardians, as he’s the only one with big league experience under his belt.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old righty, gives Cleveland a solid arm to add to a rotation that desperately need improvement after ranking 24th as a staff in ERA, 24th in FIP, 23rd in WHIP and 21st in AVG against last season.

Ortiz isn’t the flashiest of arms, but what he does have is an above average fastball, which ranked in the 71st percentile in its velocity, as well as a solid slider amongst his four primary pitches in his arsenal.

He thew his four-seam fastball and slider at identical 26.8% rates last season, and saw solid success with both. His four-seamer held hitters to .187 AVG and .331 SLG last season, while his slider saw opponents hit just .203 with a .292 SLG against it.

He also features sinker (used 25.8% of the time) that saw a sub-.250 AVG and a sub-.375 SLG against in 2024. His cutter (used 19.7% of the time) is his last pitch form his main repertoire, but could use some work after seeing poorer results in 2024 compared to his other three offerings, as hitters posted a .273 AVG and .416 SLG off it last season.

For a contact-oriented pitcher, Ortiz could do with getting the ball on the ground a bit more than the 36th percentile, 39.9% GB-rate he sported in 2024, but with how the Guardians have had success working with starters in the past there’s a lot of upside here.

And with two very young arms that have high-strikeout upside arms in Kennedy and Hartle, they add more pitching promise to the farm for the future.

The earlier version of this update outlining the deal between Toronto and Cleveland, is available to read below

Orginal Post, December 10th:

After falling short in the Juan Soto sweepstakes earlier this week, the Toronto Blue Jays shifted their focus to the infield reportedly acquiring second baseman Andrés Giménez from the Cleveland Guardians, per Jeff Passan.

Toronto has been linked to some of the biggest names in both free agency and on the trade market in recent offseasons and finally get over the hump by acquiring the former all-star.

The 2024 season wasn’t the kindest to Giménez at the plate after hitting .252 with nine homers and 63 RBI. He also only managed to post a .638 OPS and 83 wRC+ in 152 games.

But there’s definitely upside to be had for him offensively, as in his lone All-Star campaign in 2022, he slashed .297/.371/.466 with 17 HR, 69 RBI, a 141 wRC+ and a 6.1 fWAR.

And then there’s always his world class defense which has seen him take home the last three AL Gold Gloves at second base along with AL Platinum Glove honors in 2023. His sterling defensive abilities have always managed to give him solid fWAR totals even when he’s struggled offensively the past two seasons.

The Blue Jays are also acquiring reliever Nick Sandlin in the deal, who in 57.2 innings out of the Guardians bullpen sported a 3.75 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and .216 AVG against in 2024.

Heading back to Cleveland in return, per Kiley McDaniel and other sources, is a promising young left-handed bat in Spencer Horwitz and minor league outfielder Nick Mitchell.

In 97 games at the big league level this past season, Horwitz hit .265 with 12 HR and 40 RBI while also sporting a 127 wRC+ and a 1.9 fWAR.

Mitchell spent all of 2024 at Low-A, hitting .289 with an .816 OPS and a 129 wRC+ in 103 plate appearances.

What the Blue Jays are Getting in the Deal

Andrés Giménez

The Blue Jays have now solidified the second base role which was largely occupied by a series of inexperienced young talent in 2024.

He gives Bo Bichette a premier double play partner up the middle, and bolsters an already extremely strong Blue Jays defense which finished first in MLB in DRS with 102 and fourth on OAA with 26 in 2024.

He’s also a change-of-scenery candidate for 2025, and should he be able to capture some of that 2022 form at the plate, it would give the Blue Jays an option to take over the leadoff role from the struggling George Springer.

Toronto only managed get a .219 AVG and .648 OPS from their leadoff spot in 2024, so perhaps Giménez’s three consecutive years of .250+ AVG seasons could make him a better table-setting option in 2025 and beyond.

And what makes him more promising for this role is his solid xBA, which fell just outside the top quarter of the league in 2024, ranking in the 74th percentile of MLB, according to Baseball Savant.

Nick Sandlin

Sandlin gives the Blue Jays another much needed big league proven option in their lackluster bullpen, which ranked 29th in MLB in ERA, 30th in FIP, 24th in WHIP, 23rd in AVG against and 29th in K/9 this past season.

Along with four consecutive years with a sub-4.00 ERA out the ‘pen, Sandlin features solid swing-and-miss capabilities, as in 2024 he posted an 81st percentile strikeout rate and a 95th percentile whiff rate.

He now joins Chad Green, Erik Swanson and newly acquired Yimi Garcia, who returned to the Blue Jays on Tuesday, as presumptive locks for the Jays’ bullpen in 2025.

What the Guardians are Getting in Horwitz

It was a steep price for the Blue Jays to acquire Giménez, especially considering he comes with a price tag just shy of $97 million guaranteed over the next five seasons, as Horwitz has a lot potential with the bat.

He has the makings of a hitter with a disciplined and patient approach, ranking in the 69th percentile in both K-rate and chase rate, the 79th percentile in whiff rate and the 83rd percentile in walk rate.

The 27-year-old immediately slots into the mix at both first and second for the Guardians while also having the ability to play in the corner outfield having made some appearances in left field the last two seasons while in Triple-A Buffalo.

He brings a strong left-handed bench option with six years of remaining control at the very least to Cleveland. He also provides some relief for the loss of the mainstay in Giménez at second, while simultaneously giving them some more comfort in the possibility of dealing first baseman Josh Naylor, whom they’ve been rumored to be shopping this winter.