This surprising offseason trade has been aging great for the Blue Jays

During the MLB Winter Meetings last December, the Toronto Blue Jays made one of their most surprising moves of their offseason. Out of nowhere, we learned that the Blue Jays acquired Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for promising young infielder Spencer Horwitz and minor league outfielder Nick Mitchell.

At the time, the Jays were in need of a power hitter and lots of bullpen help, so the addition of Sandlin made total sense. But the inclusion of Giménez was rather surprising given his profile as a defense-first infielder. But it only took one series for that trade to look like an absolute win.

This surprising offseason Blue Jays trade has been aging great

Both Giménez and Sandlin had a strong spring training showing, with Giménez posting a solid .283 average with two doubles, two triples, two home runs, 11 RBI and two stolen bases in 18 games while Sandlin compiled a 1-0 record with a 3.18 ERA and nine strikeouts in just 5 2/3 innings. But a strong spring doesn't always translate to a strong start to the season.

But now that surprising trade is certainly looking better and better by the day for the Jays. In fact, both players had a significant impact in helping the Jays split the four-game series against the Baltimore Orioles.

Giménez has suddenly emerged as a slugger, as he hit in the cleanup spot and mashed two home runs with four RBI and four runs scored. That, coupled with his already stellar defense at second, has already led him proving his worth.

As for Sandlin, he has quietly made two appearances this season and has held the opposition hitless with two strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings of work. The Jays' bullpen has gotten off to a shaky start this year, so his strong start is a promising sign.

There are countless instances in the past of the the Jays being haunted by trades that didn’t turn out the way they expected. And while it may be still early, the early returns from this trade have looked like a big win for the Blue Jays.