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The Toronto Blue Jays have had enough. After seeing both Juan Soto and Max Fried choose New York over The Six, general manager Ross Atkins is completing a trade with the Cleveland Guardians for Gold Glove second baseman Andres Gimenez, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Right-handed relief pitcher Nick Sandlin (3.75 ERA in 68 appearances in 2024) is accompanying him to the Great White North, and fellow former second-round draft pick Spencer Horwitz, who tallied 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 97 games last season, was sent to the Guardians in exchange, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Cleveland then flipped Horwitz to the Pittsburgh Pirates for righty Luis Ortiz and pitching prospects Michael Kennedy (ranked No. 15 in organization) and Josh Hartle (No. 17), per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
This is an important offseason for the Jays, and they are finally ready to make a move. While Gimenez will not evoke the kind of excitement that the aforementioned All-Stars do, he can bring crucial stability to the diamond. The 26-year-old earned an invitation to the Midsummer Classic himself in 2022 after posting a .297 batting average and 17 home runs. His offense has precipitously declined over the last two years, but Toronto could benefit from his durability and defensive consistency.
Blue Jays are banking on Gimenez's glove and upside
Blue Jays fans are starving for a high-profile free agent or trade acquisition, and the inability to lure away Soto or Fried from the New York Mets and Yankees, respectively, will make it harder to appreciate Gimenez's arrival. Once the pain of rejection wears off, though, (yet again) the city should acknowledge the value he brings to the team.
Although Toronto rated as one of the best defensive clubs in baseball during 2024, John Schneider should welcome the Venezuela native's elite fielding skills. He has been crowned the best at his position in the AL in each of the last three seasons and even claimed a prestigious Platinum Glove in 2023. Beyond his defense, Andres Gimenez is also a baserunning threat who has recorded 30 stolen bases in consecutive campaigns. He just needs to tweak his hitting approach a bit.
Gimenez is unlikely to re-establish himself as an .837 OPS guy, but if he can boost last year's .252 batting average and nine homers, this trade has the potential to be a windfall for the Blue Jays. Nick Sandlin is also an intriguing addition to a bullpen that just produced the second-highest ERA in MLB. Bitterness is still abound in Toronto, but Ross Atkins might have just upgraded the roster. That is at least a start.
Guardians fans have reason to feel optimistic about the haul their team is bringing back as well, though.
Cleveland is looking for a spark in its offense
Although the American League Central Champions' biggest question mark remains their pitching rotation, even with Shane Bieber returning, the lineup can use another productive bat. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti appeared to be thinking along those lines when he traded for first baseman and second baseman Spencer Horwitz, but focus quickly shifted back to pitching.
The 27-year-old out of Radford, Virginia should be given a solid opportunity to carve out a meaningful role for himself with the Pirates, while the Guardians look to a triumvirate of hurlers to potentially solidify their future depth. Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy, third and fourth-round draft picks, respectively, are each still in the early stages of their minor league progression. Luis Ortiz comes aboard with almost 240 innings of big league experience, however. He had a 3.32 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 37 games.
More pitching could address some of the issues that plagued Cleveland in the AL Championship Series. The staff was running on fumes by the time the Guardians were sent packing, so maybe this latest trade can provide reinforcements in both the short-term and long-term.
Still, saying goodbye to a human Hoover like Andres Gimenez is never easy. Both Cleveland and Toronto have more work to do this offseason before feeling content.
