Blue Jays, Guardians Agree to Andres Gimenez Trade

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.