Toronto Blue Jays Trade Acquisition Set to Make Team History Not Seen in Nearly 40 Years

Andres Gimenez, who the Blue Jays acquired earlier this offseason, is going to do something we haven't seen since 1985.
Cleveland Guardians second base Andrés Gimenez (0) scores a run in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers  during game five of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field.
Cleveland Guardians second base Andrés Gimenez (0) scores a run in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers during game five of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. / David Richard-Imagn Images
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With Opening Day just over two months away, new Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez is set to join some fun (and rare) team history.

According to the @NumbersMLB account on "X," Gimenez will wear No. 0 in Toronto. He will be the first member of the Blue Jays to wear No. 0 since 1985, when Al Oliver donned it.

Gimenez, 26, was acquired earlier this offseason from the Cleveland Guardians. An excellent defender, he'll instantly upgrade the Jays run prevention efforts. Already a three-time Gold Glove winner, he's also a Platinum Glove winner. Furthermore, if Bo Bichette is to leave after the 2025 season in free agency, he's a logical replacement at shortstop.

Offensively, Gimenez has potential to really help as well. He hit just .252 last season with nine homers, but he did provide 30 stolen bases. He's done that each of the last two seasons and also hit .297 back in 2023. The recent ZIPS projections from Fangraphs have him putting together a nice year.

The Blue Jays could use that too, by the way. They are coming off a year in which they went 74-88 and finished in last place in the American League East.

The Blue Jays will enter spring training with more questions than answers. They are trying to deal with Vladimir Guerrero's contract situation, trying to maximize the final year of Guerrero Jr. and Bichette being together, while also trying to keep pace in a loaded division field that has seen the Yankees bring in Max Fried and Cody Bellinger and the Red Sox get Walker Buehler and Garrett Crochet.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.