Blue Jays make minor trade with Giants, shipping away once-promising utilityman

Utility-man Otto Lopez has been traded to the San Francisco Giants, the Blue Jays announced on social media (X link) on Tuesday. Cash considerations are heading north of the border in exchange for Lopez's services.

The move comes four days after Lopez was designated for assignment, as he was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Cuban right-handed pitcher, Yariel Rodriguez.

Lopez has been a member of the Blue Jays' organization since 2017, beginning his professional career with the GCL Blue Jays. He had a steady climb in the system, making all stops in the minors prior to his MLB debut in 2021. 2022 saw Lopez spent most of his season in Triple-A, posting admirable offensive numbers whilst playing a multitude of positions.

2023 looked to be a big year for Lopez, as he spent much of the spring with Canada's WBC club and was set to begin in Buffalo with the chance of claiming a big league bench spot later in the campaign. Injuries limited Lopez, as he hit to only a .656 OPS in 84 games across IL stints with the Bisons. Lopez never got his shot, and appeared to be on the outside looking in for 2024 until his departure.

Lopez was an interesting story, as even though he was born in the Dominican Republic, he is also a Canadian citizen. Lopez and his family moved to Montreal, Quebec when he was a child after his father was hired as a teacher. After four years in Canada, he moved back to the Dominican Republic, where he lived with his uncle and continued to train in baseball. This was done with the intention of avoiding the MLB First Year Player Draft and instead sign a much more lucrative international free agent deal.

Lopez will compete for a spot on the Giants roster, one that is in need of infield depth after moving on from long-time shortstop, Brandon Crawford.

For those wondering, cash considerations is a transaction component frequently used in all sized deals in MLB. It implies that the receiving team will be given a to be determined amount of funds based on how the traded player performs with their new organization. In theory, the better Lopez performs for the Giants, the more money the Blue Jays may be entitled to.