An outstanding defensive infielder, Gabriel Arias may get a chance to initially win the second base job for the Guardians.

They traded Gold Glove second baseman Andrés Giménez to the Blue Jays at the winter meetings to get out from under the almost $100 million they owed him. They continued the pattern on Friday by sending another Gold Glove defender, Myles Straw, to Toronto for a player to be named.

Myles Straw had become an afterthought for the Cleveland Guardians after barely appearing with them during the 2024 MLB season.

As per Trevor Plouffe on the Baseball Today podcast with Chris Rose, Gimenez's addition to the Toronto diamond will immensely help shortstop Bo Bichette. The young SS had a below par season in 2024 and is looking to get back into All-Star callibre form. As per Plouffe, Gimenez's partnership will significantly hone Bichette's skills.

Eric Wedge, who managed Cleveland for seven seasons, was named manager of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers on Wednesday.

The transaction, announced by the Guardians on X, also includes the transfer of international bonus pool space to Toronto.

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto acquired $2 million in international signing bonus pool allocation from the Cleveland Guardians that could be used in its pursuit of Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki as part of a trade Friday that also brought unperforming outfielder Myles Straw to the Blue Jays.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Toronto’s bid for Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki ended late last week when the right-hander signed with the Dodgers. But just before Sasaki announced his decision, Cleveland was able to leverage the Blue Jays' eagerness to add international signing pool money in order to get out from under Myles Straw’s bad contract.

The Cleveland Guardians made another trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. This time sending an even worse hitting gold glove defender! Myles Straw was sent to Toronto along with international bonus pool money and the cash equivalent of his buyout.

The recent trade between the Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays could hold weight as Roki Sasaki nears a decision.

#Guardians have traded OF Myles Straw to the #BlueJays along with international signing pool space & cash in exchange for a Player To Be Named Later or cash.@fox8news In return, Cleveland will get ...

TORONTO (AP) — Toronto acquired $2 million in international signing bonus pool allocation from the Cleveland Guardians that could be used in its pursuit of Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki as part ...