Grading the Blue Jays' offseason moves

The Toronto Blue Jays have spent the past three months retooling their roster ahead of the 2025 MLB season in the hopes of bouncing back and becoming a contender.

With spring training here, let’s break out the red ink and grade the biggest moves the Blue Jays made this offseason.

Grading the Blue Jays most significant offseason moves

Jays trade for Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin

One of the first major moves that the Jays made this offseason came out of nowhere when they acquired Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Spencer Horwitz and Nick Mitchell. While this deal may have been motivated by Toronto's failure to land a big name free agent in November, it looks better by the day.

In adding a a three-time Gold Glove winner in Giménez, the Jays now have one of the top defenders in all of baseball. Not only that, Giménez is just three years removed from his 2022 All-Star season when he hit .297 with an .837 OPS, along with 17 home runs, 69 RBI and 20 stolen bases. If he can rediscover that offensive prowess, the Jays could have a five-tool player on their hands going forward.

As for Sandlin, he will become a major part of the Jays’ revamped bullpen for 2025. The 28-year-old right-hander has been reliable since he made his MLB debut with the Guardians in 2021. Over the past four seasons, Sandlin has posted a stellar 19-8 record with a 3.27 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, along with a whopping 223 strikeouts in just 195 1/3 innings pitched.

In terms of who the Jays gave up, Horwitz was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, and could miss Opening Day after undergoing wrist surgery. He showed some offensive potential with the Jays last season, but we still don't know if that was a flash in the pan. And, as of now, Mitchell, projects to be a depth piece in Cleveland's outfield. The Jays got two key major league pieces for their organization in this trade, making it a surefire win.

Grade: A-