The Toronto Blue Jays are doubling down on defence.
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Days after missing out on premier free-agent slugger Juan Soto, the Blue Jays are reportedly finalizing a deal with the Cleveland Guardians to acquire sure-handed second baseman Andres Gimenez, according to ESPN insider Jeff Passan.
The deal, once completed, will send the three-time Gold Glover to a team coming off a second straight AL Team Gold Glove Award. Going the other way are infielder Spencer Horwitz and minor-league outfielder Nick Mitchell, while the Blue Jays will also be acquiring right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported.
Gimenez, 26, a left-handed hitter who was once a top prospect in the New York Mets system, is coming off a season in which he batted .252 with nine home runs, 63 RBIs and 30 steals with an 82 OPS+ (100 is league average) for the Guardians.
He was an all-star in 2022 after being a part of the Francisco Lindor deal, batting .297 with 17 home runs, 69 RBIs and 20 steals with an OPS+ of 141.
Sandlin, who turns 28 next month, was 8-0 with one save last season while primarily pitching out of the Guardians bullpen. He also had 68 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings to go with a 3.75 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
The lefty Horwitz, 27, meanwhile, was a steady offensive contributor after being called up by the Blue Jays in early June. A 24th-round pick in the 2019 draft, he finished the season with a .265 batting average with 12 home runs, 40 RBIs and a 125 OPS+ while playing first and second base.
Mitchell, a 21-year-old left-handed hitter, was drafted in the fourth round of this year’s draft by Toronto out of Indiana University Bloomington and played 22 games for the single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.