REPORT: Guardians Trade Recently Acquired INF For Pirates Pitcher, Prospects

In a recent trade, the Cleveland Guardians acquire three pitchers from the Pittsburg Pirates.

Aug 31, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Luis Ortiz (48) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians have been among the most active teams over the last 24 hours as Winter Meetings continue in Dallas, Texas.

They reportedly traded Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for 1B/2B Spencer Horwitz and Minor League OF Nick Mitchell.

However, Horwitz's time in Cleveland lasted only a few hours before he was on the move again.

Per Mark Feinsand of The Athletic, the Guardians are sending Horwitz to the Pittsburg Pirates. In Return, Cleveland acquired LHP Josh Hartle, RHP Luis Ortiz, and LHP Michael Kennedy.

The Guardians are sending INF Spencer Horwitz — acquired earlier today in the Gimenez deal — to the Pirates, with LHP Josh Hartle (PIT No. 17 prospect per @MLBPipeline) heading back to Cleveland, per sources. There are more players involved in the deal, too.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 11, 2024

The headliner of this trade is Josh Hartle, Pittsburgh's 17th-ranked prospect (per MLB Pipeline). He was the 83rd overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and was assigned to Pittsburgh's High-A affiliate for the remainder of the year.

However, there are some other intriguing pieces in this trade, too.

The other prospect Cleveland gets in this deal is Kennedy, who is currently at the high-A level. The 20-year-old was taken in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft.

While Hartle and Kennedy will not make their Major League debuts for some time, the other piece of this trade could have an immediate impact for the Guardians.

Ortiz, 25, appeared in 37 games last season for the Pirates and made 15 starts.

As a starter, he had an ERA of 3.22 and a WHIP of 1.00. Given the state of Cleveland's current rotation, it wouldn't be surprising if Ortiz's role ended up being as a start with the Guardians.

With how active the Guardians have been over the last day, it'll be interesting to see if the front office makes any more moves before the Winter Meetings wrap up.