Toronto Blue Jays Swing Trade For Cleveland Guardians Infielder Andrés Giménez

In their first big move of the offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays added Gold Glove second baseman Andrés Giménez to their star-studded infield.

Oct 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) turns a double play over Detroit Tigers second baseman Colt Keith (33) in the fourth inning in game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a trade for Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez, ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report Tuesday night.

The 26-year-old infielder is coming off his third consecutive Gold Glove win. Across 152 games in 2024, Giménez hit .252 with nine home runs, 63 RBI, 30 stolen bases, a .638 OPS and a 4.0 WAR.

Giménez’s arrival marks the Blue Jays’ first major addition of the offseason, coming in the wake of a few whiffs elsewhere. Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets and Max Fried joined the New York Yankees, taking two of Toronto’s top targets off the board.

While Giménez doesn’t carry the same prestige as those two stars, he was an All-Star in 2022. He also heads to Toronto on a seven-year, $106.5 million contract that features a club option for 2030.

Per the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Blue Jays are also getting right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin back alongside Giménez.

In exchange, the Guardians received outfielder Nick Mitchell and first baseman/second baseman Spencer Horwitz, who posted a 1.2 WAR in 97 games as a 26-year-old rookie in 2024. Cleveland then flipped Horwitz to the Pittsburgh Pirates later Tuesday night for left-handed pitching prospects Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy, plus starting pitcher Luis Ortiz.

Giménez was once a top prospect in the New York Mets’ farm system, until he got dealt to the Guardians as part of the blockbuster Francisco Lindor trade in 2021. Back in 2017, he had been ranked as the No. 7 prospect in baseball.

By 2022, Giménez was an everyday player in Cleveland. He hit .297 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI, 20 stolen bases, an .837 OPS and a 7.4 WAR.

Giménez’s WAR dipped to 5.3 the following year, the 4.0 the year after that, but he remains a defensive stalwart. And at 26, there is still plenty of time for Giménez to get back on track at the plate.

The Blue Jays now boast an infield that features three All-Stars, with Giménez joining first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and shortstop Bo Bichette. Those two are on expiring contracts, though, so it remains to be seen if Giménez will have both them as teammates beyond the 2025 campaign.

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