Blue Jays acquire Andres Gimenez

6:23 p.m.: It’s a two-for-two swap, reports Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (X-Link). Toronto gets Giménez and Sandlin for Horwitz and Prospect Nick Mitchell. There are no cash payments, meaning the Jays will take over the entire contract.

5:44 p.m.: reliever Nick Sandlin is also headed to Toronto, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (on X).

5:37 p.m.: infielder Spencer Horwitz is among the players returning to Cleveland, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (X-Link) reports.

5:08 p.m.: The Blue Jays and Guardians are finalizing a trade that would send the second baseman Andres Giménez to Toronto, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets that there is an agreement on a Giménez deal.

It’s the first out-of-nowhere trade of the Winter Meetings. While it’s never a complete surprise when Cleveland signs a high-paid player, there isn’t much to suggest they would buy their Gold Glove second baseman. Giménez appeared to be a centerpiece since he signed one of the largest contracts in franchise history just two seasons ago: a seven-year, $106.5 million extension in 2023 spring training.

Instead, the defensive star is on the road for the second time in his career. Giménez began his career with the Mets, where his versatile profile made him one of the system’s top talents. Cleveland acquired him on the side Amed Rosario as the key pieces in their return for Francisco Lindor And Carlos Carrasco during the 2020-21 offseason.

Giménez struggled in his first year in Cleveland, but he had a breakthrough in 2022. He played plus defense and won his first of three straight Gold Glove awards at second base. Giménez also had an impressive season at the plate, hitting .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs in 557 plate appearances. He was a deserving All-Star and finished sixth in American League MVP voting.

After that breakout season, the Guardians signed Giménez to the aforementioned extension. It remains the second-largest investment in the organization’s history, not far behind the $124 million deal Jose Ramirez colored the previous spring. Cleveland certainly intended to build its long-term infield around this duo.

That’s not quite the case, because Giménez’s bat has taken a step back. The Guardians probably didn’t expect him to repeat the offensive performance he managed in 2022. He had a high .353 average on balls in play, which would be difficult to maintain, and he was also unlikely to be hit by that many pitches (an AL). -high 25), as he had been this year. However, Giménez’s numbers have likely declined more than Cleveland expected, as he has been a below-average hitter in consecutive seasons.

In 2023, the left-handed Giménez hit .251/.314/.399 with 15 home runs in 616 plate appearances. He improved his contact skills but found his walking speed and power numbers declining. These trends continued this year. Giménez managed just nine home runs in 633 appearances. He kept his strikeout rate at a decent 15.3%, but drew walks at a career-low 4.1%. He finished the year with a mediocre .252/.298/.340 slash line – his weakest offensive performance during his three full seasons in Cleveland.

Despite the worrying offensive trends, Giménez remains a valuable all-round player. He has stolen 30 bases in consecutive seasons and is a good baserunner overall. He has not been on the injured list since 2020 and has played in 140 games in each of the last three seasons. Most importantly, he is the best defensive second baseman in the game. Giménez was named the AL’s Gold Glove winner three consecutive years. He amassed 59 defensive runs saved during that stretch. That’s way up there Marcus Semiens 37 mark, which ranks second in this position. Statcast’s Outs Above Average isn’t quite as big of a discrepancy (49 to 40), but both metrics consider Giménez to be the game’s best key defender.

The Jays have looked in the market at both second and third base. They have a handful of young players capable of filling one or both of these positions – Ernie Clement, Will Wagner, Joey Loperfido, Addison Barger, Orelvis Martinez And Leo Jimenez among them – but it’s a group light on MLB experience. Giménez has a much higher floor in the middle infield. He will play second base at least next season. That’s probably his long-term home, although he could be an answer at shortstop if Bo Bichette Walks next off season. Giménez came into the game as a shortstop. He hasn’t played there since 2022, but he’s such an athletic defender that he could probably handle the position if asked.

The Jays are shelling out a decent amount of money to make this happen. Giménez is under contract for at least the next five seasons. He will make $10 million next year, $15 million in 2026 and $23 million per year in the final three guaranteed years. There is a $23 million club option for the 2030 campaign, which comes with a $2.5 million buyout. The deal also includes a $1 million allocation bonus in the event of a trade. Including this bonus, Giménez is guaranteed $97.5 million for his campaigns between the ages of 26 and 30. It’s not clear if Toronto will take over the entire deal.

With the acquisition of Sandlin, Toronto also bolsters an underperforming middle relief group. The low-slot righty has a solid track record of four years in the big leagues. Sandlin, who turns 28 next month, has a 3.27 earned-run average over 195 1/3 career innings. Despite a pedestrian 92-93 MPH fastball, he has shown the ability to make bats miss. Sandlin has a career strikeout rate of 27.7%, which he achieved essentially over 57 2/3 frames last season.

The Southern Miss product has mediocre control. Sandlin walked 11% of the batters he faced this year, which is right in line with his overall walk percentage of 11.4%. That’s likely to keep him in the middle innings rather than forcing him to apply pressure, but Sandlin’s four-pitch mix has helped him avoid the platoon problems that plague many pen arms. The Jays are desperate for some sort of reliability in the bullpen. Only the Rocky Mountains had a worse relief group this year. Toronto then moved on Jordan Romano, Genesis Cabrera And Dillon Tate. They agree to bring something with them Yimi Garcia back on a two-year deal as a free agent, but could use as many as four or five replacement buys this winter.

Sandlin has been in the MLB for a little less than four years. He is entering his second of four refereeing seasons after qualifying early as a Super Two player. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz expects to make a salary of $1.6 million next year. He should remain affordable in the remaining three years of his management of the club.

The biggest appeal for Cleveland is getting rid of the expensive part of Giménez’s contract. The 27-year-old Horwitz provides them with a senior depth infielder. The left-handed Horwitz has shown offensive potential in both Triple-A and the major leagues. He posted an impressive .265/.357/.433 batting line in 381 plate appearances this year. Horwitz hit 12 home runs and 19 doubles while displaying excellent strike zone awareness. He walked at a rate of 11% and struck out 18.4% of the time.

Horwitz has an outstanding minor league track record. He is a career .316/.433/.471 hitter and has nearly as many walks as strikeouts in 208 Triple-A games. He clearly has offensive ability, but has yet to complete a full MLB run due to a lack of defensive prowess. Horwitz was a first baseman for most of his minor league career. His 5-foot-10 frame and hit-over-power approach are rare at the position. The Jays also used Horwitz as part of their second base mix, but teams don’t seem to view him as an everyday player there.

Horwitz’s lack of defensive flexibility made him a difficult addition to a team with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He’s under similar pressure in Cleveland. Josh Naylor would be the first baseman if not traded. Kyle Manzardo could take over even if the Guardians move Naylor. Horwitz still has a minor league option, so he could return to Triple-A, but he no longer has anything to prove there offensively. It would be a surprise if a Cleveland team that values ​​infield defense was willing to use him as a regular second baseman. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith tweets that Horwitz may be moving to a third team.

In any case, the Guardians need to find a new second baseman. Juan Brito is on the 40-man roster and hit .256/.365/.443 in his age 22 season in Triple-A. He’s a potential starter, although it would be a risk for Cleveland to rely on a player who hasn’t yet made his MLB debut. The Guards could seek a stopgap solution via free agency or a trade if they want to provide some stability after a division title.

Mitchell, a 21-year-old outfielder, rounds out the return. Toronto just drafted the Indiana product in the fourth round of this summer’s draft. A left-handed hitter, Mitchell hit .289/.350/.467 in 22 games as a college draftee in Low-A. Baseball America wrote in its draft report that Mitchell had good contact skills and above-average speed, which gave him the ability to stay in center field. He’s likely projecting a fourth or fifth outfielder role.

More to come…