ESPN Grading of the Trade
https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/sto...trade-analysis
Blue Jays grade: B+
The Blue Jays strike with a significant winter meetings trade -- and one pretty much out of nowhere considering they had several internal options on the roster to play second base in Horwitz, Will Wagner and Orelvis Martinez. Those three aren't natural second basemen, however, and certainly aren't in the same area code defensively as Gimenez, who has won three straight Gold Gloves and earned the Platinum Glove in 2023 as the American League's top overall defensive player.
Gimenez's value rests to a large degree on that D: +17 DRS in 2022, +23 in 2023 and +20 in 2024. Via DRS, only new Blue Jays teammate Daulton Varsho has more defensive runs saved over the past three seasons than Gimenez -- which means, yes, the Blue Jays arguably have the two best defenders in the majors. Toronto pitchers are smiling right now, no doubt. The Statcast metrics and the eye test back up that assessment. Gimenez is a natural shortstop with extraordinary range and an above-average arm.
His offense is another matter. When the Guardians signed Gimenez to a seven-year, $106.5 million extension in spring training of 2023, they were betting on his offensive breakout at age 23 in 2022, when he hit .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs, 7.4 WAR and a sixth-place finish in the MVP voting. He had middling exit velocity numbers, however, and he has regressed the past two seasons, going from 25 batting runs above average in 2022 to minus-1 in 2023 to minus-13 in 2024 (his hard-hit rate ranked in just the eighth percentile).
Still, even given the below-average offense, Gimenez was a valuable player this past season with 4.0 WAR. While he is signed through 2029 (with a club option for 2030), the hitch is that he's now getting expensive: $10.5 million salary in 2025, $15.5 in 2026 then $23.5 million from 2027 to 2029. That gets a little hefty for a glove-first player, but it's still reasonable. And in lieu of missing out on Shohei Ohtani last year and Juan Soto this year, maybe the Jays are viewing this as an alternative path to success: pitching and defense. At this point, I'd love to see them double down on that approach and trade for Nolan Arenado to play third or Cody Bellinger for the outfield.
One added bonus: If Bo Bichette leaves as a free agent after 2025, Gimenez certainly has the range and enough arm to move to shortstop. Sandlin is a useful bullpen arm, but after allowing 24 home runs the past two seasons, he isn't really a high-leverage guy. The Jays still need to add more depth there.