The organization’s depth at second base, its need for starting pitching and the acceleration of this pitching market were all factors.

The Cleveland Guardians gave up a key player in a surprise trade this week, and Jose Ramirez seemed to make it known that he is not happy about the move. The Guardians on Tuesday traded veteran second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays.

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One of the biggest factors in this deal is the rest of Gimenez's contract, which the Guardians are no longer responsible for. He is owed roughly $95 million through the 2029 season, and now the Toronto Blue Jays will be on the hook for all that.

Andrés Giménez was a very popular guy in the Cleveland Guardians clubhouse. From Steven Kwan to Brayan Rocchio, many of his former teammates showed sadness and disappointment in social media when they heard the now former Guardians second baseman was getting traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Guardians made the biggest trade of the winter meetings on Tuesday night. They followed it with another trade a few hours later. The net result was one starting pitcher, three prospects, the dumping of almost $100 million in salary and a wide open competition at second base,

Toronto will have a $23 million option to retain Gimenez for 2030. Toronto will be paying all of the remaining contract. 1- The Guardians likely felt Gimenez’ remaining contract value was far more than they wanted to invest in a middle-infielder.