Cleveland Sports Forum

Blue Jays To Acquire Andres Gimenez
By Anthony Franco | December 10, 2024 at 5:08pm CDT

The Blue Jays and Guardians are finalizing a trade that would send second baseman Andrés Giménez to Toronto, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet tweets that there’s an agreement in place on a Giménez deal.

It’s the first out of nowhere trade of the Winter Meetings. While it’s never a complete shock to see Cleveland deal a high-priced player, there hadn’t been much to suggest they were shopping their Gold Glove second baseman. Giménez appeared to be a core piece since he signed one of the biggest contracts in franchise history just two seasons back: a seven-year, $106.5MM extension in Spring Training 2023.

Instead, the defensive stalwart is on the move for the second time in his career. Giménez began his career with the Mets, where his well-rounded profile made him one of the system’s top prospects. Cleveland acquired him alongside Amed Rosario as the key pieces in their return for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco during the 2020-21 offseason.

Giménez struggled during his first year in Cleveland, but he had a breakout showing in 2022. He played plus defense to win his first of three straight Gold Glove awards at second base. Giménez also turned in an impact season at the plate, hitting .297/.371/.466 with 17 homers across 557 plate appearances. He was a deserved All-Star and finished sixth in MVP balloting in the American League.

Following that breakout season, the Guardians signed Giménez to the aforementioned extension. It remains the second-largest investment in the organization’s history, not too far behind the $124MM deal which José Ramírez inked the preceding spring. Cleveland surely envisioned building their long-term infield around that duo.

More to come…

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
·
16m
Although #Guardians Andres Gimenez is a fan favorite he has underperformed on the offensive side of the ball based on his current contract the past two seasons now.

Yes, defensively he is the best but that being said they now can free up a spot for either Angel Martinez, Juan Brito and or Travis Bazanna eventually.

They also take $90MM off the books owed to him to possibly go after a higher priced starting pitcher on the market which they desperately need

Looks like Josh Naylor replacement is the return from Toronto Spencer Horwitz. Nick Sandlin included in the trade.

Full Blue Jays-Guardians deal -- Toronto gets three-time GG second baseman Andres Gimenez and reliever Nick Sandlin; Cleveland gets Spencer Horwitz and prospect Nick Mitchell. No money in the deal.

Nick Mitchell Transitioning Well to Pro Ball
August 16, 2024

By Brian Crawford
Photo credit: MiLB.com

Outfielder Nick Mitchell is transitioning nicely to pro ball. Mitchell, who is currently slashing .292/.379/.583 with an OPS of .962 after 24 at-bats with Low-A Dunedin; is happy with how smoothly the transition between college baseball and pro ball is going so far.

“I’ve been having a really good time,” said Mitchell who was selected 136th overall a month ago. “It’s definitely a step up in competition. The pitching stuff is different but overall, I’m getting better just with experience, every game you get better.”

Mitchell’s quick start at the plate should come as no surprise, as he had an excellent junior season at Indiana University where he recorded 23 extra base hits, which included: 15 doubles, three triples, and five home runs.

“I have really good bat-to-ball skills,” explained Mitchell. “I’m going to hit a lot of doubles and triples. That’s where most of my juice is, I’m going to hit more doubles than home runs.”

The prospect feels his plate approach is improving since turning pro, “You definitely need to have a more disciplined approach in pro ball,” Mitchell added. “The pitchers are more around the zone and their misses are a little bit closer than in college ball, so it’s a little bit tougher for sure. I’m sticking with the same approach and letting my experience take over.”

Appearing in games at both center field and right field since turning pro; Mitchell enjoys his time in center more.

“I just love being able to run around and cover a lot of ground with my speed,” stated Mitchell. “I love playing center and being able to track balls and cover much ground out there.”

Be sure to follow Nick Mitchell, as he continues to excel at both phases of the game.

Ben Nicholson-Smith
@bnicholsonsmith

Some people at the Winter Meetings wonder if there might be a third team involved trying to acquire Spencer Horwitz. One source wondered about the Pirates.

7:23 PM · Dec 10, 2024
·
101.5K
Views

Rocky Colavito, Cleveland legend and 1-time AL home run king, dies at 91

By Zack Meisel
36m ago

6
Save Article

Rocky Colavito, a revered power hitter who was imprudently traded in the prime of his career, died Tuesday. He was 91. The Cleveland Guardians did not announce the cause of death.

An All-Star in six seasons, Colavito provided the muscle for the Cleveland Indians and several other American League teams in the late ’50s and ’60s, an era in which only a handful of Hall of Famers outslugged him.

In his 11 seasons as an everyday big-leaguer, from 1956-66, Colavito tallied 358 homers. The only players with more in that span — Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle and Frank Robinson — were all shoo-ins for Cooperstown. Colavito hit at least 20 homers in each season during that stretch.

Colavito ranks 81st on the all-time home run leaderboard, with 374 homers, ahead of Gil Hodges and just behind Carlton Fisk, Jeff Kent, Norm Cash and Mike Trout. He’s one of 16 players since the start of the 20th century to hit four homers in a game.

He led the league with 42 homers in 1959, when he earned his first All-Star Game nod and his second consecutive top-four finish in the AL MVP balloting. He’s one of four players in Cleveland history with multiple 40-homer seasons, along with Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Manny Ramírez. Colavito was the first to reach that milestone in back-to-back seasons (1958-59). He ranks 12th in team history with 190 homers and ranks tied for 12th in slugging percentage and OPS.

He was also known for possessing a cannon of a right arm, which accounted for 123 assists from the corner outfield (and for two scoreless appearances, a decade apart, that covered 5 2/3 innings on the mound).

After that decorated 1959 season, Cleveland’s restless general manager, Frank “Trader” Lane, lived up to his moniker. Two days before the 1960 season opener, Lane dealt the cornerstone of his club’s lineup to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn in a swap of the reigning home run champion for the reigning batting title winner.

The trade sparked outrage in Cleveland, where the Indians had finished second in the AL standings in 1959 thanks, in large part, to their fan-favorite slugger, who helped the team rank first in homers and slugging and second in OPS. They didn’t finish in the top two in the standings again for 35 years. Lane, of course, traded Kuenn after one season.

Colavito spent the bulk of his prime in Detroit, and then a year in Kansas City, racking up All-Star nods along the way. With the Tigers in 196`, he totaled 45 homers, 140 RBIs and 113 walks.

Colavito returned to Cleveland in 1965 in a three-team deal (which cost the Indians a young, unproven pitcher named Tommy John, who ultimately won 288 games, as well as Tommie Agee, who won the AL Rookie of the Year award the next year). He made two more All-Star teams with Cleveland and then, in 1967-68, in the twilight of his career, Colavito bounced to the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.

He ended his career with 1,730 hits, 1,159 RBIs and an .848 OPS across parts of 14 seasons. He also racked up more walks than strikeouts. He finished in the top six in the AL in homers on nine occasions. After he retired from playing, he broadcasted and coached with the Indians and Royals. Cleveland inducted him into the franchise Hall of Fame in 2006.

I remember Colavito coming in from Right Field to pitch! With hindsight, he could have been the first Otani!

DALLAS -- The Pirates made their first big splash of the offseason Tuesday night, picking up Spencer Horwitz from the Guardians, their potential first baseman of not only 2025, but the future as well. In exchange, the Pirates are sending Luis Ortiz and pitching prospects Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle to the Guardians.

It was the second time Horwitz was traded on Tuesday, first being sent from the Blue Jays to the Guardians as part of the Andrés Giménez deal. The 27-year-old first and second baseman emerged as one of the Blue Jays’ top offensive performers last season, slashing .265/.357/.433 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs across 97 games. While not regarded as a top prospect for most of his time in the Blue Jays’ system, Horwitz’s strong walk rates (11% in 2024), ability to know the zone and make solid contact (27.3% squared up rate) helped burst him onto the Major League scene.

“Spencer has been a consistently strong offensive performer throughout his pro career, including his first extended Major League experience this season,” said general manager Ben Cherington. “As a left-handed-hitting first baseman with on-base skill, we believe he’s a strong fit for our lineup and team.”

TRADE DETAILS
Pirates get: 1B Spencer Horwitz
Guardians get: RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Michael Kennedy, LHP Josh Hartle


Horwitz also has familiarity with new Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague, who coached him as an assistant hitting coach this past season and when Hague was a Minor League hitting coach before that.

The Pirates came into the offseason with a deep pool of pitching, both in the Majors and Minors, and a desire to upgrade on offense. Johan Oviedo is set to return from Tommy John surgery in 2025, and with the emergence of Paul Skenes and Jared Jones this season, Mitch Keller in place for another four years and three top 100 prospects in Triple-A (Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Thomas Harrington), the Bucs were in a position where they could trade a Major League starter as well as some prospect depth.

I will miss watching Giminez making plays in the field, truly a great defender.

Spencer Horwitz in demand as he’s flipped from Cleveland to Pittsburgh in odd deal
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 02: Spencer Horwitz #48 of the Toronto Blue Jays follows through on his sixth inning RBI base hit against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 02, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
By Keith Law
Dec 10, 2024

70
Save Article

Trade details: Pittsburgh Pirates acquire 1B Spencer Horwitz from Cleveland Guardians for RHP Luis Ortiz, LHP Josh Hartle and LHP Michael Kennedy.

This is certainly one of the strangest deals I can remember, as Spencer Horwitz is suddenly a hot commodity, which is unusual for a 27-year-old first baseman with middling power and fringy bat speed.

Cleveland acquired Horwitz after lunch and flipped him to Pittsburgh for three pitchers before it even got to its fourth meal. Meanwhile, the Pirates needed a first baseman, and I think they still do.

I’m not a Horwitz believer, as you might have guessed. He played some second base last year for the Toronto Blue Jays but was not good there, so he’s a first baseman who has maybe average power and whose strongest skill is his plate discipline — he walks a lot, doesn’t punch out and doesn’t chase. His hard-hit rate and average exit velocity were below average last year, which is unsurprising for someone with fringy bat speed (at best) and no history of hitting for power.

Horwitz was 26 this past season and hit 16 homers between Triple A and the majors, besting his previous career high of … 12. He also didn’t hit lefties at all in the majors in 2024 and was mediocre against them in the minors in 2023. It’s not impossible for a 27-year-old player to improve, but usually what you see in a player that age is what you get, and I see a platoon first baseman who has to get on base at a very high clip to make up for his lack of pop.

Horwitz does address Pittsburgh’s biggest offensive problem last year: getting guys on base. It ranked 14th out of 15 teams in the NL in OBP at .301. Pittsburgh’s second-biggest problem on offense last year, however, was its lack of power. It finished with the third-fewest homers in the NL at 160, ahead of only two non-contenders: the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals. This isn’t going to move that needle, and it comes at the position where it’s easiest to find power other than DH.

The Guardians get back two intriguing if low-probability pitching prospects along with a big-league swingman.

Left-hander Michael Kennedy pitched at 19 this year, mostly in Low A, showing 55 (out of the 20-80 scouting scale) control and average command, working with a fringe-average fastball at mostly 88-92 that plays up a little due to his command and a low release height along with an average slider and change. He still has some projection left and should see his velocity increase in the next year or two, although so far he hasn’t gained any velocity since high school. He walked just 6 percent of batters he faced in 2024 and struck out 37 percent of lefties. There’s mid-rotation upside here if he gets to that velocity projection.

Lefty Josh Hartle was a potential first-rounder after his sophomore year at Wake Forest, but his junior year in 2024 was a disaster, and he fell to the third round after posting a career-worst 5.79 ERA. He’s a finesse lefty who had shown above-average control and had a 55 changeup in his five-pitch mix, but when his velocity dipped a half-grade, he couldn’t overcome it. I have speculated before that he overused his cutter in his junior year, and that also brought his performance down, as it’s not as effective as the changeup. If time and a new approach get him back to where he was in 2023, this is a steal.

Right-hander Luis Ortiz made 15 starts and 22 relief appearances for the Pirates in 2024, and his overall production was worth 3.0 bWAR, which is nothing to sneeze at and shows at least in part the value of that in-between sort of role. He didn’t see any deterioration in his strikeout or walk rates when working as a starter, and he has just a modest platoon split, giving up more power to left-handed batters.

He succeeds with good carry on a four-seamer that plays up because he extends well over his front side, and the cutter he added in 2024 effectively replaced his changeup as the pitch to keep hitters off the fastball. He also lowered his arm slot, getting more tilt to his slider, which was previously more of a downward-breaking pitch, and improving the attack angle on the four-seamer and sinker.

Some of Ortiz’s success last year was driven by a .243 BABIP, the result of reducing how often hitters squared him up. His FIP was almost a full run above his ERA at 4.25, and FanGraphs, which uses FIP in its WAR calculation, had his WAR at just 1.0 last year. He’s going to see some regression if his strikeout rate remains at 19 percent, and it’s more likely he’s a good back-end starter or swingman than a three-win guy, but Cleveland’s core competency as an organization has been working with and improving pitchers, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see further adjustments here.

And the Guardians need his innings. They had only three healthy starters on the roster before the deal, one of whom, Ben Lively, had a 4.66 FIP last year and has a career ERA of 4.80 in the majors. Getting Ortiz, who isn’t even eligible for arbitration for two more years, plus two high-risk, high-reward left-handed pitching prospects for Spencer Horwitz is just tremendous for Cleveland.

The way trade was revealed was strangely piecemeal. It was a not unusual 3 team trade.
We swapped Giminez for a back end starter and 3 prospects of middle range. Makes sense whether we like it or not.

Tom Hamilton, longtime Guardians radio voice, wins Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 19: Cleveland Guardians radio voice Tom Hamilton addresses the crowd during the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame induction ceremony prior to the Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians on August 19, 2023, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By Jenna West
2m ago
Save Article


Tom Hamilton, the longtime radio voice of the Cleveland Guardians, won the 2025 Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

“With an unmatched love for Cleveland, Tom Hamilton has narrated the story of one of the franchise’s most successful eras since joining the team’s broadcast crew in 1990,” Josh Rawitch, president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement Wednesday. “Guardians fans adopted Tom as one of their own as soon as he arrived in Cleveland thanks to his knowledgeable play-by-play and passionate calls of some of the franchise’s most historic moments.


“For a generation of listeners, Tom Hamilton is the very definition of Cleveland baseball.”

Hamilton has spent 35 years in Cleveland’s radio booth, joining TV analyst Rick Manning as the longest-tenured broadcaster in team history. Hamilton came to Cleveland in 1990 after serving as the voice of the Triple-A Columbus Clippers for three seasons. He joined the legendary pitcher-turned-broadcaster Herb Score in the booth for seven seasons until Score’s retirement in 1997.

Since then, Hamilton has partnered with Mike Hegan, Dave Nelson, Jim Rosenhaus and Matt Underwood on the radio.


Hamilton won the Ford C. Frick Award this year after previously being named a finalist three times. He will be honored during the awards presentation on Hall of Fame Weekend (July 25-28, 2025) in Cooperstown.

Hamilton started his radio career as a DJ for a country music station in Shell Lake, Wisc., before working at WBNS in Columbus, Ohio. He called Columbus Clippers games as a volunteer and reluctantly submitted an audition tape when Cleveland searched for a new broadcast partner for Score ahead of the 1990 season. The team offered Hamilton the job and he moved to Cleveland.

Hamilton’s known in Cleveland for his “Swing and a drive!” call when a Guardian hits a home run and for stressing each syllable in “Strike. Three. Called,” when a pitcher stumps a hitter and for simply shouting “Ballgame!” the instant the Guardians win.

Hamilton has called countless classic moments in club history, including Jim Thome squeezing the final out of the victory that vaulted Cleveland into the postseason in September 1995 and the team erasing a 12-run deficit in a record-setting comeback against the 116-win Seattle Mariners in 2001.

Hamilton voiced the team’s march to Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, highlighted by Rajai Davis’ game-tying home run in the decisive tilt. In 2023, Hamilton went viral for his “Down Goes Anderson!” call when José Ramírez punched the Chicago White Sox’s Tim Anderson in an August game at Progressive Field.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
·
23m
Cleveland makes Bieber signing official after not take anyone in the MLB phase of the Rule 5 MLB Draft. The 40-man roster now sits at 39.

Sean Casey gushing about Luis Ortiz

https://x.com/mlbnetwork/status/1866969 ... AwvstUtTkg