Guardians acquire four players, including RHP Luis L. Ortiz, in separate deals with Toronto and Pittsburgh
CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Guardians announced today the following transactions regarding their 2025 Major League 40-player roster:
- Acquired infielder Spencer Horwitz and outfielder Nick Mitchell from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for second baseman Andrés Giménez and right-handed pitcher Nick Sandlin.
- Acquired right-handed pitcher Luis L. Ortiz, left-handed pitcher Michael Kennedy, and left-handed pitcher Josh Hartle from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for infielder Spencer Horwitz.
With the addition of Ortiz, the roster now stands at 38 players.
Luis L. Ortiz
Ortiz, 25, had a career year with Pittsburgh, achieving personal bests in wins (7), strikeouts (107), innings pitched (135.2), ERA (3.32), WHIP (1.11), and bWAR (3.0). The 6’2″, 235-pound right-hander started the season in the bullpen, posting a 2.51 ERA (12 ER/43.0 IP) with a .210 opponent batting average in 20 appearances, mainly in a long relief role. Ortiz transitioned to a starting role in late June and recorded a shutout start (6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO) on August 31 in Cleveland. Over his final 15 appearances (14 starts), he had a 3.25 ERA (32 ER/88.2 IP), a 1.02 WHIP, and a .205 opponent batting average, including 7 quality starts. His WHIP and opponent batting average ranked 6th among National League pitchers over that stretch (min. 85.0 IP).
A native of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Ortiz signed with Pittsburgh on October 2, 2018, and made his Major League debut on September 13, 2022, in Cincinnati. In that debut, he pitched 5.2 scoreless innings, becoming the second pitcher in Pittsburgh history to throw at least 5.2 shutout innings with one or fewer hits allowed in their Major League debut. Over three seasons with Pittsburgh, Ortiz has a 12-13 record with a 3.93 ERA (104 ER/238.1 IP) across 59 appearances (34 starts).
Michael Kennedy
Kennedy, 20, was Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Troy High School (Troy, NY), opting out of a collegiate career at LSU. Over his two-year professional career, he has a record of 4-6 with a 3.25 ERA in 31 games (24 starts) (130.1 IP, 99 H, 45 ER, 44 BB, 158 SO, 10.9 K/9, .211 opponent batting average). He split 2024 between Single-A Bradenton and High-A Greensboro, posting a combined ERA of 3.87 in 18 games (17 starts), missing six weeks with a left knee sprain from June 16 to August 1. Kennedy, ranked by MLB Pipeline as Pittsburgh’s No. 15 prospect, allowed one run over 10.0 innings in his two starts with Greensboro to end the season.
Josh Hartle
Hartle, a 6’5″, 210-pound left-handed pitcher, was selected in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2024 MLB draft by Pittsburgh out of Wake Forest University. In three seasons with the Demon Deacons, Hartle went 24-11 with a 4.41 ERA (121 ER/246.2 IP) in 47 appearances (46 starts). The King, North Carolina native excelled in his sophomore season in 2023, posting an 11-2 record, a 2.81 ERA (32 ER/102.1 IP), 140 strikeouts, and 24 walks, earning First-Team All-America honors by Baseball America and NCBWA while being named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. He was rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 70 prospect in the 2024 draft class and was slotted as Pittsburgh’s 17th-best prospect.
