Pirates bring in Spencer Horwitz, deal three pitchers to Cleveland
Pirates find controllable option at first base, trade Luis Ortiz and two prospects
The long-awaited and expected trade finally happened for the Pirates, as they acquired a first baseman with several years of control in exchange for three pitchers.
Spencer Horwitz went from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Cleveland Guardians in the Andres Gimenez and immediately swapped him to Pittsburgh for Luis Ortiz, Josh Hartle, and Michael Kennedy.
It’s a trade that addresses an immediate need and potentially locks it up for the future.
Quite a few players are included in this, and before I dive too deep into Horwitz himself, I wanted to recap the three players going to Cleveland in this deal.
Luis Ortiz
This is the headliner on the Pirates side of things, as Ortiz had a breakout 2024 season in the majors. He began the year in the bullpen, but injuries forced him into the rotation, where he posted a 3.32 ERA over 135.2 innings pitched.
When you talk about the ‘next man up’ mentality, Ortiz exemplified that this season. He threw 135.2 innings and even picked up his first career save. Wherever they needed him, he came through.
That being said, I think there are some signs where he could regress, part of which is the low swing and miss numbers, as well as the 4.59 xFIP that put him in place as a back-end starter.
So, if a number five starter is your main piece in a trade that nets you the guy who will get most of the plate appearances at first base, that seems like a win.
Josh Hartle
One of the top college pitchers available in the 2024 draft, Hartle had a horrible season at Wake Forrest that saw him drop to the third round for the Pirates.
I’m not sure I was a big fan of the pick; there was certainly some value there, but it reminded me a bit of Quinn Priester. You will get beat up when you are a command/finesse over stuff type pitcher, and the command isn’t there.
Even when it’s on, there is such limited room for error. You have a margin of error if you have an upper 90s fastball. That is less the case when it’s 88-91.
I was intrigued if they could have done anything with him. He has an interesting frame that could have maybe allowed him to throw a little harder.
Regardless, this one is an easy inclusion.
Michael Kennedy
This was a personal favorite in the system for me and a player I got to talk with while I was in Bradenton.
The fastball velocity isn’t going to pop out, but it has strong characteristics, and he throws from a lower arm slot and gets excellent extension.
For any team that deeps heavily into analytics, he’s an ideal prospect. There is more velocity in the tank, as he threw harder in 2023 but dialed it back to try to clean up the mechanics this past season.
I’m willing to bet the Guardians help him get back there without sacrificing too much of the newfound control he had.
The Guardians will have fun with him, but still, you have to be ok with letting an arm like this guy, especially since you didn’t have to give up any of the top-tier prospects.
Spencer Horwitz
At first glance, there may be things you would not like to like when acquiring Horwitz. He’s on the older end for someone with the experience he does. The platoon splits (147 wRC+ vs RHP, 53 vs LHP) hints that he may not be an everyday first baseman.
Even the exit velocity numbers don’t speak to someone who will be a big masher at a premium power-hitting position.
Still, Horwitz had some notable accomplishments in Toronto during the 2024 season. Of all hitters with at least 350 plate appearances, Horwitz ranked:
39th in wRC+ (127)
48th in OPS (.790)
27th in OBP (.357)
That’s not bad for a guy who struggled when facing left-handed pitching. If the Pirates can find a consistent platoon partner with him they can maximize the value out of him.
His 1.9 fWAR would have been the third-best on the team, behind Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz.
The biggest thing that the Pirates are buying in this trade is control. Horwitz will remain under team control until 2030. That gives them an option at a position they’ve been plugging and playing for the next five seasons.
Buying control can get expensive, hence Ortiz and two pitching prospects.
Yes, Horwitz isn’t going to be a thumper in the middle of the lineup, but he will make consistent contact and can drive the ball well, setting up to being a high doubles hitter (he had 19 in 2024).
We saw players like Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Bryan De La Cruz come over in trades, and their quality of contact (xwOBA) screamed regression, which we saw from both.
With Horwitz, his xwOBA is better than his actual mark.
Final Analysis
The Pirates needed hitting, and desperately. With the money free agents are going for, you had to know this would be the route they’d take to address that need.
Trading a starting pitcher, a position with depth, would always be the chips they’d use to make the deal.
Ortiz had a strong season for the Pirates, and the Guardians have a track record of getting the most out of pitchers.
This trade may end up looking like a loss when taking it head-to-head, but it can be a win-win with both getting plus value out of it.
Because both Ortiz and Horwitz are pre-arbitration, their salaries basically cancel each other out, so they added a first baseman without adding to the payroll and still have whatever amount they have to spend available for the rest of the offseason.
With Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington, Mike Burrows, and Braxton Ashcraft knocking on the door, Ortiz was the name that made the most sense to move (along with Bailey Falter) to get the bat they needed.
Horwitz has some risk, but even if he is ‘just’ what he was in 2024, that’s a two-win platoon player. That’s something that the Pirates could certainly use in 2025 and beyond.
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Another MiL signing: RH RP Wilkin Ramos, whom the Pirates lost a couple years ago in the MiL Rule 5. Throws hard, pitched well in AA after they lost him, but couldn't throw strikes in AAA this year.
I'm looking forward to watching Horwitz--I appreciate his skillset more than the big swinger who might hit moon shots but has a lot of swing-and-miss too.