Blue Jays trade 1-time All-Star Santiago Espinal to Reds for minor league pitcher
The Toronto Blue Jays made a surprising trade.
The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off of a two-game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Wild Card round of the 2023 MLB Playoffs. It was an ironic end to a Blue Jays team that fought valiantly over the course of the season in a stacked American League East considering the Twins were champions of the beleaguered American League Central.
Now, Manager John Schneider’s team is regrouping with the eyes on the prize for the 2024 season. The Blue Jays dropped a 10-9 spring training decision to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, suggesting the team still needs some time to get their pitching staff sorted out.
It’s been an eventful spring season for Toronto, especially lately as new team addition, former Cincinnati Reds legend and lefty slugger Joey Votto clocked a spring training home run that cemented what he called the ‘swing he’s been looking for.’ The Blue Jays also got an update on the status of star starting pitcher Kevin Gausman with Opening Day on the horizon.
The Jays’ offseason got another surprising update on Wednesday as Santiago Espinal was traded to the Reds for a minor league pitcher.
Blue Jays Trade Infielder to Reds
Espinal is a former All-Star who played second base for Schneider’s team last season and hit .248 with two home runs and 25 RBI in 2023. Espinal has played four seasons in the Majors thus far, all four of them with the Blue Jays. His most complete season came in 2022 when Espinal hit 2.67 with 120 hits including 25 doubles.
On Wednesday, former MLB reporter John Paul Morosi shared news of the trade. Right-hander Chris McElvain is heading for the Great White North while Espinal is on his way out of town.
McElvain ranked as the 41st best Cincinnati Reds prospect according to Fangraphs last season. He is known for his plus-slider and solid fastball as well as his solid command of his pitches overall. A product of Vanderbilt University, McElvain is six feet tall and 205 pounds and was born in Tennessee.
Clement, Lukes Impress in Spring Training
The Blue Jays got big performances from left-fielder Ernie Clement and right fielder Nathan Lukes, with two and three hits respectively in a losing spring training effort on Wednesday.
Superstar Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. hit a home run in his only at-bat. His stat line so far in spring training suggests that he could be primed for an amazing season for Schneider’s team.
Guerrero Jr. is expected to bat third in the Jays’ lineup behind table setters Bo Bichette and George Springer this season according to a recent starting lineup projection.
The Jays are 11-13 in spring training so far as they prepare for what could be an exciting 2024 campaign in an AL East that appears to be stacked with talent yet again.
