Blue Jays projected 2025 Opening Day lineup after Giménez-Horwitz swap

The Toronto Blue Jays had themselves quite the day at the MLB Winter Meetings on Tuesday. After missing out on Juan Soto, fans had been waiting to see what general manager Ross Atkins' first moves of the offseason would be. It was a surprise, to say the least.

After bringing back old friend Yimi García on a two-year deal to help the bullpen, the Blue Jays went out and made a rather shocking trade for Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez. Toronto also brought in right-handed reliever Nick Sandlin in exchange for infielder Spencer Horwitz and minor league outfielder Nick Mitchell.

Where does the three-time Gold Glove infielder Giménez fit in the Blue Jays lineup heading into 2025? With the front office's obsession with building a defensive juggernaut to man the field at Rogers Centre, the 26-year-old certainly fits Toronto's current mold.

Blue Jays projected 2025 Opening Day lineup after adding Andrés Giménez

Here's a projected 2025 Opening Day lineup when the Blue Jays open the season at home against the Baltimore Orioles next March 27:

The big question will be whether Giménez's bat can rebound after a dreadful 2024. His incredible defensive value should keep him in the everyday lineup, regardless of his offensive contributions. Since becoming a full-time player for the Guardians in 2022, he leads all second basemen with 59 defensive runs saved (22 more than second place) and 49 outs above average.

After a breakout 2022 season in which he hit .297 with an .837 OPS, 17 home runs and 20 steals, Giménez backslid in 2023 and then again this past season. He hit .252 and posted a .638 OPS with just nine homers, although he did swipe 30 bags for the second consecutive year.

Manager John Schneider might opt to give Giménez a chance to hit higher up the lineup to begin the year and see how it goes. But it's easy to see rookie Will Wagner grabbing that four spot behind Vladdy and not relinquishing it.

Even though we've only seen a small sample size in the majors, Wagner hits more like a cleanup batter with a lot more power and line drive damage than Giménez has shown to be capable of. Giménez won't strike out much (15.3 percent in 2024) but also won't provide the Blue Jays' best hitter with enough protection with a career 86.3 mph average exit velocity and 4.5 percent barrel rate.

You might have also raised your eyebrows at Nathan Lukes playing center field to open the season. Even though the Jays have the best defensive center fielder in the game on the roster, Daulton Varsho sounds doubtful to begin the season with the team after rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder, per Sportnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.

It remains to be seen if the Blue Jays can help Giménez find his form with the bat that made him an All-Star in 2022, but we can be confident there will be another Gold Glove finalist in the field next season.