Spencer Horwitz was on his way to the movies to see “Gladiator II” when he saw the Blue Jays acquired second baseman Andrés Giménez from the Guardians. A few minutes later, he got a call from Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins saying that he was part of the package of players going back to Cleveland.

It was a surprise for Horwitz, who had grown from a 24th-round Draft pick to the No. 9 first base prospect in baseball entering the 2024 season, according to MLB Pipeline. He had a solid rookie campaign, too, slashing .265/.357/.433 with 12 home runs in 97 games played last season. He was leaving the only organization he had ever known, but he wasn’t going to be a Guardian for long. In his first phone call with his new club, they told him another team had just called them about him, and that another trade was a possibility.

Later that night, it became a reality, and Horwitz was dealt to the Pirates for Luis Ortiz and a pair of pitching prospects.

"I was ecstatic,” Horwitz said about the second trade over Zoom on Wednesday. “Going to Cleveland, I was a little confused. I know they have some really good first basemen and they had Giménez. I was curious if I was going to play second there or what the plan was. Then when I got traded to Pittsburgh, I was super excited because I know they've been looking for some more offense, and obviously I get to work with [hitting coach] Matt Hague again. He's been my hitting coach since Double-A. I work really well with him and I'm excited to hopefully continue that."

Reuniting with his longtime hitting coach Hague is a plus. The Pirates finding their first baseman of the future would be a boon. The team has cycled through different veterans at the position in recent years, mostly to negative results. Going into the offseason, the Pirates knew they needed to upgrade their offense, and first base and corner outfield were prime positions to give a boost.

It’s why the Pirates and Guardians had long talked about a deal for a first baseman before Horwitz was with the organization. Once that trade was made, the Pirates were able to make a move for a player they long coveted.

• Could Horwitz be long-term fit for Bucs at first base?

“It's a position that has been an area of need for us for a while now,” general manager Ben Cherington said at the Winter Meetings. “We've had a list of guys out there we've been kind of tracking, and he was one of them. [We] had dialogue directly with Toronto, I think probably back over the course of a couple years about him and made some attempts to get him directly from Toronto. Just wasn't able to do that. So, it worked going through Cleveland this time."

Horwitz has mostly served as a utility man in his pro career, playing second base and the outfield in addition to first base. That’s the type of skill that can help a 24th-round pick elevate himself to a highly rated prospect.

"Being a late-round pick and an undersized first baseman, as some people would say, I was doing everything I could to get noticed,” Horwitz said. “I still have that mentality. I'm not going to lose that.”

Producing at the plate is another way to make a name for yourself. Horwitz doesn’t have the traditional pop that comes with first base, but his .790 OPS and 125 OPS+ show that he can create runs other ways.

“Some people want 30 or 40 home runs,” Horwitz said. “I think I bring a quality bat, I can work counts and do damage, and damage isn't just home runs. That's what I've learned, that it can come in doubles and triples. I'm not the burner that might get a lot of triples, but they'll come.”

If Horwitz clicks, it would be a massive boost for a Pirates team that has the starting pitching to compete already in place. For Horwitz, it’s an opportunity the 27-year-old lefty-hitting infielder has been working toward for years.

“Nothing's going to be given to me,” Horwitz said. “I know that. But it's nice to feel wanted, and that's exciting. I think it's going to be a good opportunity for both of us."