Pirates acquire first baseman Spencer Horwitz from Cleveland

The Pittsburgh Pirates today acquired first baseman Spencer Horwitz from the Cleveland Guardians. Horwitz was acquired earlier today by Cleveland from Toronto. The Guardians will receive right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz in exchange from the Pirates along with minor league left-handed pitchers Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy.

The 27-year-old Horwitz finished first among all qualifed MLB rookies in on-base percentage (.357), fourth in OPS (.790), sixth in batting average (.265), and eighth in slugging percentage (.433) while playing in 97 games with Toronto in 2024.

“Spencer has been a consistently strong offensive performer throughout his pro career, including his first extended Major League experience this season,” said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. “As a left-handed hitting first baseman with on-base skill, we believe he’s a strong fit for our lineup and team.”

Horwitz began the 2024 season with Triple-A Buffalo, where he ranked second in the International League in on-base percentage (.456), tied for third in batting average (.335), fourth in walks (44), and seventh in OPS (.970) at the time he was recalled on June 7.

Horwitz reached base safely in each of his first 17 starts of 2024 with Toronto from June 8 to July 2, matching Bo Bichette (2019) for the longest streak to start a season by a rookie in club history. He also saw 10-plus pitches in seven plate appearances this past season with Toronto, which was tied for the fifth-most in MLB.

Horwitz was voted the International League’s Best Defensive Infielder by league managers in a Baseball America poll in 2023. He made his big league debut on June 18, 2023, where he became the fourth player in club history with a hit, walk, RBI, and run scored in his MLB debut.

Horwitz was selected by Toronto in the 24th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Radford (VA) University.