Andrés Giménez came to the Jays from the Guardians, along with Nick Sandlin, for Nick Mitchell (a minor league outfielder) and Spencer Horwitz last December.
Horwitz was flipped to the Pirates, where he is hitting .255/.322/.355 with 1 home run in 31 games.
It is fair to say that we weren’t overwhelmed by the trade. Giménez was signed through the 2030 season (with an option for 2031). he will be making a lot of money by the end of it:
- $10,571,429 in 2025.
- $15,571,428 in 2026.
- $23,571,429 the next three seasons.
- 2030 it is $23 million.
- 2031 is a $23 option with a $2.5 million buyout for 2031.
I want his agent.
We were lukewarm on the trade, even though we didn’t give up all that much:
Anyway, in a move that surprised all of us, John Schneider decided to bat him clean up to start the season. John looked like a genius when Giménez homered in the first game (and the third game and the fifth game). Seven games into the season, he had a .308/.400/.731 batting line.
The team talked about his new leg kick. I’m generally skeptical that a minor change can cause a significant improvement (Jose Bautista aside). And….well, from there his batting numbers dropped like a stone. His batting average bottomed out at .165. Unfortunately, the hot start overshadowed the drop-off, and Giménez remained a middle-of-the-order hitter until the end of April.
As I always say, if you have the choice, start the season hot, it will take forever for broadcasters (and managers) to notice that your batting line is sucking sewer water.
Anyway, there was also an injury in there. His current batting line:
| Age | WAR | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | GIDP | HBP | SH | SF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 0.6 | 51 | 201 | 177 | 22 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 32 | .192 | .280 | .294 | .574 | 61 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
Since returning from the IL, he’s hitting .185/.290/.259.
Baseball Reference has him at a 0.6 WAR. FanGraphs 0.5.
The underlying numbers aren’t any better, Baseball Savant says:
- Average Exit Speed: 9th percentile.
- Barrel %: 9th percentile.
- Bat Speed: 19th.
- Squared up: 39th.
- Chase %: 17th.
On the other side of the ball. Defensively, I think he’s the best defensive second baseman we’ve ever had. FanGraphs has him at +6 Outs Above Average. Baseball Savant has him in the 95th percentile for range.
And the eye test agrees that he is terrific with the glove.
He’s also 9 and 1 as a basestealer. I hoped he’d steal 40-50 bases, but the injury and the inability to get on base makes that a pipe dream.
Let’s have the poll: