Guardians trade Giménez in three-team swap with Jays, Bucs

DALLAS -- President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti sat back on the couch in the middle of his suite at the Hilton Anatole Hotel on Tuesday afternoon and rattled off the goals the team had for Andrés Giménez to get back to the 2022 version of himself in ’25. Two hours later, Giménez was gone.

The Guardians traded Gold Glove second basemen Giménez and right-hander Nick Sandlin to the Blue Jays in exchange for first baseman/second baseman Spencer Horwitz and Minor League outfielder Nick Mitchell on Tuesday afternoon during the Winter Meetings. A few hours later, Horwitz was flipped to the Pirates in exchange for left-hander Josh Hartle, Pittsburgh's No. 17 prospect, right-hander Luis Ortiz and Minor League left-hander Michael Kennedy.

TRADE DETAILS
Guardians get: OF Nick Mitchell, LHP Josh Hartle, RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Michael Kennedy
Blue Jays get: 2B Andrés Giménez, RHP Nick Sandlin
Pirates get: INF Spencer Horwitz

Why would the Guardians make this move?
We can look at a handful of reasons. One, Giménez hasn’t been the hitter the Guardians hoped he would turn into when they locked him up to a seven-year, $106.5 million contract after his All-Star season in 2022. Not only did he dazzle with his glove, but he hit .297 with an .837 OPS, 26 doubles, 17 homers and 69 RBIs. And with his ability to move to shortstop if needed, he was the perfect piece to build around as a 24-year-old infielder. Since then, his offense regressed, hitting around .250 each season with a below-average OPS.

As his offensive results waned, his salary was set to increase. Giménez made just $5.57 million in 2024. He is set to make $10.57 million in ’25. In ’26, it jumps to $15.57 million before ’27, ’28 and ’29 are all slated to be a hefty $23.57 million. If a small-market club like the Guardians would be willing to pay that, they’d have to see much more production.

The Guardians selected second baseman Travis Bazzana with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He immediately made an impact in Single-A Lake County and helped them win a championship this year. He’s built out thorough plans for his offseason to make sure he’s improving on his weaknesses to be sure he’s on the fast track to the Majors. A debut toward the end of ’25 isn’t out of question, so if the future of this organization is its first top Draft pick, Giménez needed to be moved out of the way.

Why flip Horwitz?
Defensively, Horwitz didn’t make much sense for the Guardians. He can play second base, if needed, but he's primarily a first baseman. And unless the Guardians were set on moving Josh Naylor this winter, Horwitz didn’t have a perfect fit on this roster. So, he was used to fill another need.

Add to the starting depth
The Guardians’ top priority this winter is starting pitchers, so they found a way to turn a trade for an infielder into a move for three hurlers.

Let’s start with the Major League ready option in Ortiz. The 25-year-old righty made 37 appearances for the Pirates this season, 15 of which were starts. He owned a 3.32 ERA with 107 strikeouts and 42 walks. With the Guardians’ thin starting depth, Ortiz will likely be thrown into the rotation competition this spring.

Kennedy and Hartle aren’t projected to reach the Majors until 2027, but both have tremendous upside and similar profiles. They each average approximately 90 mph on their fastballs, but are strike-throwers. And the Guardians have proven what their pitching factory can develop these types of hurlers into elite starters.

Who is Mitchell?
The Blue Jays drafted Mitchell in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft and he’s the same profile of hitter as Horwitz: High-contact bat with an advanced plate approach and little power. In 22 games with Single-A Dunedin this year, Mitchell hit .289 with an .817 OPS. The 20-year-old may be a ways away from his Major League debut, but he could be an option at all three outfield positions down the road.

What does this mean for shortstop?
This move indicates that the Guardians are all in on Brayan Rocchio. At the beginning of the offseason, it was easy to assume that Giménez would take more reps at shortstop over the winter to be ready to make (what seemed to be) the inevitable shift over to short to clear a path for Bazzana at second. Giménez proved in ’22 he can hit at this level and his Platinum Glove from ’23 speaks for his defense. There was an argument that he’d be the safer option than Rocchio, who hasn’t quite proven himself yet in the big leagues.

Now, all eyes are on Rocchio.

He certainly had his moments in ’24. His defense, at times, was excellent. Randomly, he’d struggle to make a routine play. His bat wasn’t on display during the regular season, owning a .206 average with a .614 OPS, but he finally settled in during the postseason, going 11-for-33 (.333) with two doubles and one homer. If the Guardians can figure out a way to get him to be consistent both offensively and defensively, he could be a great answer for them. He just hasn’t proven that he can for extended periods of time just yet.