Spencer Horwitz flipped to Pirates
Spencer Horwitz is on the move again.
Just hours after being traded by the Blue Jays to the Cleveland Guardians as part of the package for Andres Gimenez, Horwitz has been dealt again.
Cleveland flipped the left-handed hitting 1st baseman/2nd baseman to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for three pitchers, starter Luis Ortiz, and left-handed prospects Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle. They were ranked No. 15 & 17 respectively.
The trade is a positive development for Horwitz. Although he was experimented with at 2nd base last year, his defensive metrics were below average. With Pittsburgh, he looks to get regular playing time at his more natural position of 1st base, which was somewhat of a revolving door for the Pirates last year.
Horwitz was blocked in Toronto by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at 1st base. While he did receive a bunch of playing time at 2nd base, defensively Will Wagner was higher up on the charts. With Orelvis Martinez also coming back, there wasn't much room for Horwitz.
There was speculation that Cleveland may try and move Josh Naylor once Spencer Horwitz was acquired. While Naylor could still be traded, sending Horwitz to Pittsburgh allows the lefty the chance to be an everyday player.
Pittsburgh was rumoured to be interested in Horwitz as news of the trade with the Blue Jays was in its final stages.
After making his debut with Toronto in 2023, Horwitz hit .265. with 12 HRs and a 790 OPS in 2024. His time between positions was equally split with 41 at 1st and 39 at 2nd. He also made 17 appearances at DH.
In Ortiz, the Guardians are getting a pitcher in transition.
After moving into the Pirates rotation midway through the season, Ortiz posted a 3.22 ERA in 15 starts.
While some are classifying this a three-team trade, it is actually two separate transactions involving the Guardians, as there are no players moving from Pittsburgh to Toronto.
Both Horwitz and Ortiz are under team control until 2029.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 11 | 209 ANSWERS Spencer Horwitz flipped to Pirates Will Horwitz be an everyday player with Pittsburgh | ||
| Yes | 171 | 81.8 % |
| No | 38 | 18.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
