Guardians Swap Just Acquired Spencer Horwitz For Pitching
Just hours after trading Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin to the Blue Jays for Spencer Horwitz and Nick Mitchell, the Guardians turned around and traded Horwitz to the Pirates. The Guardians receive a trio of pitchers in righthander Luis Ortiz and lefties Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle. The Guardians leaned into an area where they’ve seen substantial development wins in the past, acquiring three arms with potential upside. The Pirates look to improve their lineup, any way they can and Horwitz fits into that. He produced a 127 wRC+ across 97 games for the Blue Jays in 2024 and should slot in as the Pirates starting first baseman.
Pirates Receive:
Spencer Horwitz, 1B/2B
Age: 27
The Blue Jays drafted Horwitz in the 24th round of the 2019 draft out of Radford and over the last two years he’s developed into one of the top young hitters in the Blue Jays system. A late bloomer Horwitz debuted in the majors at age 26. He hit .265/.357/.433 with 12 home runs over 97 games, good enough for a 127 wRC+. Horwitz saw a majority of his time at first base. He played second base as well, but his bottom-of-the-scale speed and below-average arm limit him there. In the minors he also played some corner outfield, providing the Pirates some positional versatility and lefthanded hitter with advanced plate skills.
Guardians Receive:
Luis L. Ortiz, RHP
Age: 25
After starting the year in the Pirates’ bullpen, Ortiz returned to the rotation in July, and went 4-4, 3.22 in his new role in 15 starts. While he’s capable of serving as a useful reliever, he’s shown he can be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter. He’s also quite early in his MLB career. He won’t reach arbitration until 2027 and he is under team control for five more seasons. Ortiz attacks hitters with a mid-90s four-seamer and sinker as well as a mid-80s slider and 90 mph cutter. He’s better against righthanders than lefties because of the slot and his lack of a reliable changeup, but he isn’t helpless against lefties. He should fit in a swing or back-of-rotation role, but if the Guardians prefer using him in the bullpen, he’s equipped to handle that role as well.
Michael Kennedy, LHP, Pirates
Age: 20
A 2022 fifth round pick out of Troy, N.Y. that the Pirates signed for $1 million, Kennedy made 17 starts between Low-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro in 2024. He went 2-5, 3.66 ERA with 95 strikeouts over 84 innings. Kennedy nearly doubled his innings from his 2023 pro debut and the production was good. Kennedy mixes a four-seam fastball at 89-90 mph from a 5-foot-5 release with a pair of above-average secondaries in a 79-80 mph sweeper slider and a low-80s changeup with heavy tumble. Kennedy generated 19% or higher swinging strikes rates in 2024 on his slider and changeup. He’s a soft-tossing arm with interesting secondaries for the Guardians to build up, which is a demographic with which the club has had past success.
Josh Hartle, LHP
Age: 21
Hartle was a highly touted prep pitcher out of North Carolina, who spurned interest from teams and honored his commitment to Wake Forest. Hartle spent three years with the Demon Deacons posting a 4.41 ERA in 46 starts. Hartle is a soft-throwing lefty that sits 91-92 mph with an unusual fastball shape that doesn’t move like a normal fastball. He also mixes a mid-80s slider and upper-80s changeup. His lower slot creates an unusual approach angle on his pitches that allow them to play above their raw power and movement. Hartle did somewhat underperform at Wake Forest, one of the best pitching development environments in baseball. Perhaps the Guardians feel there’s more to unlock
