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Former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz traded again, this time to the Pirates
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Photo credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Dec 10, 2024, 23:45 EST
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It didn’t take long before a former Toronto Blue Jay was traded again.
On Tuesday night, hours after he was traded from the Blue Jays, the Cleveland Guardians traded Spencer Horwitz to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for prospects Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle, as well as bulk reliever Luis L. Ortiz.
Horwitz had an excellent rookie debut with the Blue Jays, slashing .265/.357/.433 with 12 home runs in 381 plate appearances, with an 11 BB% and an 18.4 K% for a 127 wRC+. Earlier on Tuesday, the Jays sent him (and Nick Mitchell) to the Guardians in exchange for Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin.
The Guardians already have a first baseman/designated hitter in Josh Naylor, meaning that a trade was likely. Hartle is a 21-year-old left-handed pitcher who was selected in the third round of the 2024 draft by the Pirates, posting a 16.20 ERA and a 2.96 FIP in an inning and two thirds. He ranked as the Pirates’ 17th-best prospect.
Kennedy ranked as the Pirates 15th-best prospect before the trade. The 20-year-old was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft and had a 4.07 ERA and a 3.73 FIP in 73 innings pitched in Single-A. In two starts with the Pirates’ High-A team, Kennedy had a 0.84 ERA and a 1.87 FIP.
As for Ortiz, the 25-year-old posted a 3.32 ERA and a 4.25 FIP in 135.2 innings pitched last season, starting 15 of the 37 games he appeared in. He doesn’t have a lot of swing and miss in his game, as his 19.2 K% was pedestrian, but he had a solid 7.6 BB%.
It was a good piece of business for the Guardians on Tuesday, as they dumped salary and boosted their farm system. As for the Jays, this trade may work out for the Blue Jays in the future, but it doesn’t look good unless they add a power bat or two in free agency this season.
As always, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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