DALLAS -- The Blue Jays have made their first big splash of the offseason, agreeing to a trade with the Guardians for Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez, one of the best defensive infielders in baseball, the team announced on Tuesday.

Still just 26, Gim¨¦nez is only two seasons into a seven-year, $106.5 million extension, meaning he has five years of club control remaining along with a team option for 2030.

The Blue Jays, who also acquired right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin in the deal, sent first baseman Spencer Horwitz and Minor League outfielder Nick Mitchell to the Guardians.

¡°Everything about him was attractive,¡± general manager Ross Atkins said of Gim¨¦nez on Tuesday. ¡°The work that we did on his bat and the offensive upside that can be there, the teammate -- you know I talk about being a teammate all the time -- we just heard incredible things about the person. As a baserunner, adding that level of speed and that level of athleticism, plus him being here for a long time, all of that was very attractive to us.¡±

TRADE DETAILS:
Blue Jays receive: 2B Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez, RHP Nick Sandlin
Guardians receive: 1B Spencer Horwitz, OF Nick Mitchell

While Gim¨¦nez¡¯s offensive profile has changed over the past few seasons, he¡¯s already established himself as one of the premiere defenders in baseball, which fits how the Blue Jays have built this roster. Gim¨¦nez has primarily played second base for the Guardians, where he¡¯s won Gold Glove Awards in three consecutive seasons.

In 2024, Gim¨¦nez was tied for 7th among all players with a Fielding Run Value of +14. It¡¯s his bat, however, that determines the line between him being a very good player and a star in this league. There are some similarities here to Daulton Varsho, an elite outfield defender by every metric who has worked to do more with the bat.

¡°The elite defense speaks for itself and we have acquired him to play second base for us,¡± Atkins said, but it¡¯s clear that Gim¨¦nez could be an excellent option to slide across to shortstop in 2026 and beyond if Bo Bichette departs via free agency.

Gim¨¦nez broke out in 2022, batting .297 with an .837 OPS on top of his defense, all of which came together to produce a player worth 6.1 WAR (FanGraphs). That made Gim¨¦nez the 12th-most valuable hitter in baseball that season, but his OPS has dropped to .712 and .638 in the two seasons since. He can make an impact with his glove alone at second base, proving to be solid on routine plays and capable of the spectacular, but Gim¨¦nez will immediately be one of the most important projects for new hitting coach David Popkins and his staff.

¡°We¡¯ve seen Andr¨¦s be a really effective and capable Major League hitter,¡± said Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti earlier Tuesday, prior to the deal. ¡°Obviously the last year, the last couple years haven¡¯t been as consistent as we wanted. So he¡¯s another guy that we spent a lot of time with, our coaching staff¡¯s spent time with during the season and even in the offseason, trying to help him find a little bit more consistency and establish what his best movements look like in the box, having an understanding of his identity as a hitter, what he needs to do to be successful.¡±

The Blue Jays are also excited about the acquisition of Sandlin, who is an uncomfortable look for hitters from the right side and coming off a 3.75 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings last season for the Guardians. Given the blatant need in Toronto¡¯s bullpen, even after the club agreed to a two-year, $15 million reunion with Yimi Garc¨ªa on Tuesday, Sandlin should be looking at a major opportunity to pitch meaningful innings.

The inclusion of Horwitz in the deal could change the way the Blue Jays look at the rest of their offseason, too, given that he was in line to take the majority of the club¡¯s DH at-bats. Will Wagner and potentially even top hitting prospect Orelvis Martinez were projected to see time at second base in 2025, each bringing some offensive upside, but now that the club has steered heavily in the direction of defense at that spot, the now-vacant DH position feels like the perfect opportunity to balance out the move.