*Photo from Yahoo! Sports*
We have one of those rare trades where there is major league talent going both ways. The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired C/OF Daulton Varsho in exchange for OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr and C Gabriel Moreno, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Both teams have officially confirmed the trade.
Last season was a breakout campaign for Varsho, who offers positional versatility playing both catcher and the outfield. Behind Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk, Varsho will be the 3rd string catcher while starting in the outfield for the Blue Jays. He is entering his first arbitration year and is under team control through 2026.
Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins said of Varsho that "The impact that he’s going to have on our team will be on every side of the ball. The base-running impact, the speed, the versatility and elite defense. The fact that he can also catch for us is about as good a fit as we could have possibly found. I think that it is the ideal fit for this roster."
Varsho appeared in a career high 151 games while drawing only 18 starts as a catcher. He ended the season with a .235 batting average, .302 on base percentage, and .745 OPS, adding 27 home runs and 74 RBI's to go with 16 stolen bases in the 151 games he played in.
With Varsho's defensive profile, he becomes part of a unique club. Starting only 18 times as a catcher in 2022 and 37 in 2021, he became the 5th player in baseball history to be in 30 or more games behind the plate and 90 or more games in the outfield in one season, the first since Eli Marrero in 2002.
Gurriel is one headline piece coming back to Arizona, in the final year of a 7 year deal signed as an international free agent. He becomes the 8th outfielder on Arizona's 40 man roster, with Ketel Marte and Josh Rojas also able to play the outfield. He is primarily a left fielder, but has also made starts at first base more recently.
Last season was Gurriel's 5th in the majors, all in a Toronto uniform. He recorded a .291 batting average, .343 on base percentage, and .743 OPS, managing only 5 home runs with 52 RBI's in 121 games of action. He had two hits in 8 plate appearances in the playoffs last season.
The young catcher Moreno is the headliner for the D-Backs, ranked as the top Blue Jays prospect and 4th best in baseball when he was called up. He isn't eligible for arbitration until 2026 and won't hit free agency for another 6 seasons, ensuring plenty of years in a D-Backs uniform with plenty of talent with the bat and glove.
In a brief big league taste last season, Moreno put together strong numbers. He posted a .319 batting average, .377 slugging percentage, and .356 on base percentage, adding 7 RBI's and one home run to go with 4 walks in 25 games for the Blue Jays.
Arizona GM Mike Hazen said of getting Moreno that "We think he has the ability to be an impact catcher behind the plate, offensively and defensively. He can throw the ball really well. I know some of his receiving stuff, we need to continue to work through and improve. We feel like he’s going to be a really good blocker. He’s a really good hitter. He’s always been a good hitter. He’s hit since the day he came into baseball. I think that’s the reason people think as highly as they do. He has the ability to get on base. He makes contact. He has a great two-strike approach. He’s just a really good hitter."
With the Blue Jays, Varsho will likely become the left field starter. Gurriel joins a crowded D-Backs outfield picture that includes Alek Thomas, Corbin Carroll, Kyle Lewis, and Jake McCarthy, among others. Moreno joins Jose Herrera and Carson Kelly as catchers on the roster.
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