Another layer has been added to the Blue Jays' trade of Spencer Horwitz

On Tuesday evening, the Toronto Blue Jays placed themselves directly in the national spotlight as they pulled off a surprising trade with the Cleveland Guardians. Heading to Toronto was slick-fielding infielder Andres Gimenez and relief pitcher Nick Sandlin while outfield prospect Nick Mitchell and popular rookie Spencer Horwitz were sent back Cleveland's way.

Right off the bat, this was a complicated trade due to the fact that the Blue Jays traded away one of their most popular players from the 2024 roster for yet another light-hitting, defensive-minded player. Shortly after the deal went down, another layer was added to it all, and it's one that makes the Blue Jays' side of things look even worse.

Just a short while after the ink dried on the first trade, the Guardians flipped Horwitz to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a seriously solid package. Horwitz will now take over as the Pirates' everyday first baseman while the Guardians landed a solid swingman in Luis Ortiz and two left-handed pitching prospects in Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy.

Guardians' Spencer Horwitz flip makes the Blue Jays look bad

The fact that the Guardians were able to trade Horwitz for such a package suggests that the Blue Jays could have - and should have - waited until a more attractive offer came across. The Guardians used such clear big-brain thinking here and it made the Blue Jays look like fools.

Gimenez brings an extremely solid glove to the field but his bat has been so-so since an epic 2022 breakout and he's primed to get very, very expensive as the contract extension he's currently locked up on ages. Cleveland made out like absolute bandits here as they were able to shed Gimenez's contract for nothing and then immediately turn around and trade Horwitz, who they didn't need in the first place, for an upgraded package.

It fully remains to be seen how this trade will play out in the long run. It's entirely possible Gimenez winds up being a great get or Horwitz flops in Pittsburgh, but it's not looking great right at this moment.