Blue Jays trade former All-Star Espinal to Reds
The Cincinnati Reds acquired former All-Star infielder Santiago Espinal from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Chris McElvain, the teams announced Wednesday.
Espinal, 29, is a lifetime .273/.331/.367 hitter with 11 home runs and 99 RBIs over parts of four big-league seasons, all in Toronto. He earned his lone All-Star berth in 2022 thanks in large part to a red-hot bat during the first half of that campaign, and he helped the Blue Jays to consecutive playoff appearances.
Last year, he posted a .644 OPS in 254 plate appearances, while splitting time evenly between second base, third base, and shortstop.
But a slow spring - he went 6-for-30 in Grapefruit League action - contributed to Espinal becoming the odd man out of a growing infield logjam in Toronto. The trade likely clears a spot for spring standout Ernie Clement, who also plays multiple infield positions but has no minor-league options remaining, on the Blue Jays' Opening Day roster. Clement and Davis Schneider are both options to replace Espinal as Toronto's second baseman against left-handers.
The Blue Jays also needed to open 40-man roster spots for a backup catcher to replace Danny Jansen, who will start the season on the IL. One of Daniel Vogelbach or Joey Votto may also make the club as a left-handed bench bat.
Espinal's presence will be welcomed in Cincinnati, where the Reds have been in desperate need of infield help. Second baseman Matt McLain is seeking a second opinion on a shoulder injury and will miss Opening Day, manager David Bell announced Wednesday, while third baseman Noelvi Marte was suspended 80 games for a positive drug test earlier in the spring. Outfielder TJ Friedl is also starting the season on the injured list after fracturing his wrist last week.
Reaction from #Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall on acquiring former All-Star Santiago Espinal:
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) March 21, 2024
"With (Matt) McLain going down and TJ Friedl going down, just trying to get some more versatility on the club." @fox19
The Dominican Republic native will earn $2.725 million in 2024 and won't reach free agency until after the 2026 season. Espinal also has two minor-league options remaining.
McElvain, the prospect heading back to Toronto, was the Reds' eighth-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt in 2022. The 23-year-old put up a 3.75 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 87 strikeouts (8.2 K/9) in 23 appearances (19 starts) split between Low-A Daytona and High-A Dayton last year.