Reds acquire infielder Santiago Espinal in a trade with Toronto

The Cincinnati Reds have acquired infielder, and 2022 American League All-Star Santiago Espinal from the Toronto Blue Jays. Cincinnati is sending right-handed pitcher Chris McElvain to Toronto in return.

The 29-year-old joins the Reds on a day in which they got a whole lot of bad news about infielders in the organization. Matt McLain is going to miss the start of the season and may need shoulder surgery. Edwin Arroyo, the 3rd rated prospect in the farm system, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery earlier today, too – cutting down once again on the infield depth that the team seemed to have an abundance of just three weeks ago.

Back in 2022, Santiago Espinal made the American League All-Star team and hit .267/.322/.370. He was coming off of a good showing in 2021 when he hit .311/.376/.405 in 92 games for the Blue Jays. Things went backwards in 2023 as he managed to hit just .248 with a .310 on-base percentage, and saw his power drop off some as he slugged just .335 with two home runs in 93 games.

Espinal has played second base, third base, and shortstop in his four big league seasons – all with Toronto. Injuries and the suspension of Noelvi Marte left the club with no one on the 40-man roster capable of being a true back up option at shortstop for Elly De La Cruz. The Reds, likely after hearing the news on the shoulder of Matt McLain, started making phone calls to see who was available. As someone with experience all around the infield, Espinal makes plenty of sense for the club who now can have him back up several spots around the infield if needed.

Adding Santiago Espinal to the 40-man roster puts the club at 41 players. That number, however, includes Noelvi Marte, who doesn’t count towards the roster while suspended.

You can see his career stats here.

Cincinnati is sending minor league pitcher Chris McElvain to Toronto to complete this trade. He was the club’s 8th round draft pick in 2022 out of Vanderbilt. The 23-year-old posted a 3.75 ERA last season while splitting his season between Single-A Daytona and High-A Dayton. He walked 41 batters and had 87 strikeouts in his 96.0 innings pitched. McElvain was noted rated among the Reds top 25 or 30 prospects by any of the reputable outlets.