Andrés Giménez trade could come full circle for Guardians as Blue Jays stumble in AL playoff picture

Last fall, Andrés Giménez had an eventful postseason in his first season in Toronto. He may not have been the most consistent hitter in Toronto’s lineup (.215 batting average),  but he seemed to be in the middle of everything. 

He played his customary solid defense, bopped two home runs and even initiated a benches clearing incident in Game 7 of the World Series. 

But this year, he’s been a big reason why the Blue Jays are fighting with the Guardians for the American League’s Wild Card spot. 

Giménez entered play on Tuesday with a .652 OPS in 140 games, which is the eighth-worst OPS in baseball among qualified players. 

While those kinds of offensive struggles are a fair tradeoff for his solid defense, that thinking changes when you remember he’s making $15.5 million this season and is owed $23.5 million in each of the next three seasons. 

The Guardians may not have won their trade of Giménez due to Luis Ortiz’s alleged pitch-rigging, but they sure haven’t lost it, which is a bit crazy to say.

Andrés Giménez's offensive struggles could help the Guardians hold off the Blue Jays in the Wild Card race

This year has been the epitome of who Giménez is. He’s in the 99th percentile in Outs Above Average (19) and seems destined for another Gold Glove, but has been one of the worst hitters in baseball. 

The Guardians signed Giménez to his seven-year, $106.5 million extension after his breakout 2022 season where he hit .297 with 17 home runs, but he’s hit just .243 in 546 games since.

It’s clear his 2022 campaign was a flash in the pan, and the Guardians were smart to get out from under that contract by trading him to the Blue Jays. 

The problem with that move is the only big league part of their return is Ortiz, who made 16 starts with the Guardians before getting caught up in Emmanuel Clase’s pitch-rigging scheme. He’s been on the restricted list since last June, and is set to go to trial in November. 

While Ortiz was technically acquired in a separate deal with the Pirates, they made that deal by trading Spencer Horwitz (who they got in exchange for Giménez) to Pittsburgh. 

The Blue Jays had a great chance to pass the Guardians for the American League’s final Wild Card spot on Monday, but they blew a late lead to the Tigers in a game that Giménez went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. 

Neither team has much margin for error, and Giménez’s lack of offense could end up being the difference between the two teams. 

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow