Blue Jays Trade Moreno and Gurriel For Diamondbacks' Varsho
The catching trade finally came.
Trading top prospect catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the Blue Jays acquired Daulton Varsho from the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. The trade was first reported by NY Post's Jon Heyman and ESPN's Jeff Passan, and has since been confirmed by the organizations.
Entering his fourth season in the big leagues, Varsho has spent time at catcher and outfield. As an outfielder last year, Varsho ranked as one of the league's best fielders with an elite Outs Above Average and Outfielder Jump. At the plate he owns a career .234 batting average and .738 OPS, hitting 27 homers in 2022. As a left-handed bat, he fills Toronto's desired handedness and versatility while also continuing to improve outfield defense after the acquisition of Kevin Kiermaier.
The main prize heading back to Arizona is Toronto's top prospect, catcher Gabriel Moreno. Moreno ranked out as one of the best youngsters in baseball last year, breaking into MLB with a .733 OPS in 25 games last year. However, with Alejandro Kirk and Danny Jansen both posting strong seasons with Toronto last year, the Jays had a glut of catchers to deal from.
Also traded to Arizona is Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who had been a Blue Jay for five seasons. The 29-year-old hit .291 last season with Toronto but tallied a career-low five homers. Gurriel had offseason hand surgery and was entering his final year under contract with the Jays.
