Blue Jays acquire Giménez in 4-player trade with Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians traded second baseman Andrés Giménez and right-hander Nick Sandlin to the Toronto Blue Jays for infielder Spencer Horwitz and minor-league outfielder Nick Mitchell, the teams announced.
Horwitz was then flipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a multi-player deal late Tuesday.
Giménez is a three-time Gold Glove winner and was the recipient of the 2023 Platinum Glove in the American League as a second baseman. He's also an above-average defender at shortstop. Bo Bichette, the Blue Jays starting shortstop the past five seasons, is a free agent after 2025.
"Everything about him was attractive," Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said of Giménez on Tuesday, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.
"The work we did on his bat and the offensive impact that can be there, the teammate … we've heard incredible things about the person. That level of speed and athleticism, being here for a long time."
The 26-year-old Giménez slashed .252/.298/.340 with 63 RBIs and 30 steals last season, which came two years after he posted an .837 OPS (141 OPS+) and finished sixth in AL MVP voting.
Giménez signed a seven-year, $106.5-million contract extension in March 2023. The infielder is set to earn $10 million next season and is owed $94 million through 2029.
He's also got a $23-million club option, with a $2.5-million buyout, in 2030.
Sandlin, 27, has spent all four of his big-league seasons with the Guardians. He owns a career 3.27 ERA and 10.3 K/9 in 195 1/3 innings. He's under contract until the end of 2027 and is projected to earn $1.6 million through arbitration this season.
Meanwhile, Horwitz just completed his first full campaign in the bigs. The 27-year-old slashed .265/.357/.433 with 12 homers, 19 doubles, and 40 RBIs in 97 games while appearing at first and second base.
Mitchell was a fourth-round draft choice by the Blue Jays in 2024. The 21-year-old Indiana native hit .289/.350/.467 with four homers and 13 RBIs in 22 games for Single-A Dunedin last season.