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.

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.