Blue Jays trade for Guardians 2B Andres Gimenez, RHP Nick Sandlin

Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The Toronto Blue Jays acquired second baseman Andres Gimenez and right-handed pitcher Nick Sandlin through a trade with the Cleveland Guardians and Pittsburgh Pirates, the teams announced.

The three-team swap was completed Tuesday night. The Blue Jays initially sent infielder Spencer Horwitz and outfielder Nick Mitchell to the Guardians in exchange for Gimenez and Sandlin.

The Guardians then sent Horwitz to the Pirates in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz and left-handed pitchers Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle.

Gimenez, 21, hit .252 with nine home runs, 63 RBIs and 30 stolen bases over 152 games last season for the Guardians. The five-year veteran hit a career-best .297 with 17 homers, 69 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 2022 for the Guardians, when he finished sixth in the MVP race.

The three-time Gold Glove Award winner hit .261 with 49 homers, 222 RBIs and 99 stolen bases through his first 568 appearances.

Gimenez signed a seven-year, $106.5 million contract with the Guardians in 2023. That pact includes a team option of $23 million for the 2030 season.

"Everything about him was attractive," general manager Ross Atkins said of Gimenez, according to MLB.com. "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."

Sandlin, 27, went 8-0 with a 3.75 ERA over 68 appearances last season for the Guardians. He owns a 19-8 record with a 3.27 ERA over 209 career appearances. The right-handed pitcher is eligible for arbitration in 2025 and can become a free agent in 2028.

Horwitz, 27, hit .265 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs over 97 games last season for the Blue Jays. He also hit .335 with four homes and 38 RBIs over 57 appearances last season at the Class-AAA level.

He hit .256 with a home run and seven RBIs over 15 appearances in 2023 for the Blue Jays. Horwitz is eligible for arbitration in 2027 and can become a free agent in 2030.

Mitchell, 21, hit .289 with four home runs and 13 RBIs over 22 appearances last season at the Class-A level. He joined the Blue Jays as a fourth-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Ortiz, 25, went 7-6 with a 3.32 ERA over 37 appearances last season for the Pirates. He went 12-13 with a 3.93 ERA over his first three MLB seasons. Oritz is eligible for arbitration in 2027 and can become a free agent in 2030.

Kennedy, 20, joined the Pirates in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He was 2-5 with a 3.66 ERA over 18 appearances last season at the minor league level. He was 4-6 with a 3.11 ERA over 31 minor league appearances over the last two years.

Hartle, 21, was a third-round pick by the Pirates in the 2024 MLB Draft. He allowed five hits and four runs, including three earned, in his lone appearances last season for the Class-A Bradenton Marauders. He was the Pirates' No. 17 prospect.