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The Blue Jays introduced that they’ve acquired outfielder Daulton Varsho from the Diamondbacks. Going the opposite manner shall be catching prospect Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr..
For the Blue Jays, they’ve lengthy been trying so as to add a left-handed complement to their right-handed heavy lineup. They’ve additionally been rumored all offseason to be prepared to deal from their catching surplus with a view to deal with different areas of their roster. With Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk and Moreno all jockeying for enjoying time, it appeared like they’d use one in all them to line up a take care of a catching-needy staff. The Diamondbacks, in the meantime, have drawn a lot trade interest this offseason on their a number of outfielders. Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy and Varsho are all left-handed and have varied attributes, but it surely made for a logjam that many anticipated to be cleared through commerce. Given these elements, the 2 groups have been ceaselessly made for speculative commerce companions, which has come to fruition with this deal.
Varsho, 26, was a prime 100 prospect within the minors and debuted for the Diamondbacks in 2020. Although he was primarily a catcher, his pure athleticism has pushed him into extra of an outfield function just lately. It was reported in direction of the tip of the 2022 marketing campaign that the Diamondbacks had been so impressed by his outfield work that they had been planning to maintain him there going ahead. That was a reasonably wise conclusion to attract given his wonderful defensive grades on the grass. He was given a +19 from Defensive Runs Saved within the outfield this yr, together with an 18.8 from Final Zone Score and 17 Outs Above Common. All three of these figures had been tops amongst all MLB outfielders this yr, with the DRS tally tied with Michael A. Taylor. Varsho has seen time in any respect three outfield positions in his time within the massive leagues to this point, giving the Jays loads of flexibility in how he matches into their alignments.
The Blue Jays have largely been targeted on run prevention this offseason, including Chris Bassitt to their rotation, Erik Swanson to their bullpen and defensive specialist Kevin Kiermaier to their outfield. Now with Varsho, they’ve continued down that run prevention path by including the very best defensive outfielder of 2022. Varsho isn’t merely restricted to being a glove-only contributor, nonetheless. He hit 27 dwelling runs this yr and stole 16 bases. He completed the season with a .235/.302/.443 batting line, ok for a wRC+ of 106, indicating he was 6% above league common. These contributions put collectively amounted to 4.6 wins above alternative for the yr, per the calculations of FanGraphs.
This transfer, and their different strikes this offseason, have resulted in righties Gurriel and Teoscar Hernández being swapped out for lefties Kiermaier and Varsho. Gurriel and Hernandez are extra productive on the plate however each are usually considered subpar defenders, whereas Kiermaier and Varsho are usually the inverse, although Varsho took a giant step ahead on the plate this yr. Varsho and Kiermaier ought to slot into an outfield combine that additionally contains George Springer and Whit Merrifield. Whereas final yr’s alignment noticed Springer as the highest defensive possibility, flanked by two bat-first teammates, he now looks like the third greatest defender in Toronto’s outfield combine.
For the Diamondbacks, they’re buying one of many prime prospects within the sport, no matter place, however actually one of many prime catching prospects. Moreno, 23 in February, is taken into account the No. 3 prospect within the sport by each Baseball America and FanGraphs. He made his MLB debut in 2022 and carried himself properly in over his first 73 plate appearances, hitting .319/.356/.377 for a wRC+ of 113. Spending a lot of the yr in Triple-A, he hit .315/.386/.420 for a wRC+ of 120. Although the facility a part of his sport might be missing, all stories level to him being a wonderful defender who has eager bat-to-ball expertise. That’s borne out by his 16.9% strikeout price in Triple-A this yr and 11% price in his MLB debut.
The membership has used Carson Kelly, 28, as its major catcher over the previous 4 seasons, who has proved inconsistent in that point. His 2019 and 2021 seasons had been each above common on the plate, as he hit double-digit dwelling runs and stroll charges, resulting in a wRC+ of 107 within the former and 103 within the latter. Nevertheless, his 2020 and 2022 seasons had been on the low facet, with the walks and the facility each dipping. He posted a wRC+ of 70 in 2020 and simply 73 in 2022. Defensively, he’s usually thought of round common, with DRS have graded him at precisely zero to this point in his profession.
Kelly nonetheless has two years of arbitration management remaining and sure has the catching job for now, given Moreno’s youth and restricted expertise. Moreno will even require a while to get to know Arizona’s pitching workers. However as Moreno continues to develop, it’s doable that Kelly will get squeezed out in time and turn into a commerce chip himself earlier than he reaches the open market.
As they subtract from their multitude of left-handed hitting outfielders, the Diamondbacks are bringing in a right-hander for extra stability in Gurriel. The 29-year-old has spent the previous 5 seasons with the Jays and has a profession batting line of .285/.329/.468 and a wRC+ of 115. He doesn’t include a noticeable platoon break up, as he has an excellent 115 wRC+ in opposition to each righties and lefties. That makes him completely able to taking part in day by day for the Snakes. He’s in his remaining yr of management earlier than turning into a free agent, which doesn’t make him a long-term answer within the desert, however he ought to give the membership a while to proceed to guage younger gamers like Carroll and Thomas. If these youthful gamers take steps ahead and command on a regular basis jobs and/or the Diamondbacks aren’t in rivalry in the midst of 2023, Gurriel would make for an intriguing commerce candidate.
Defensively, Gurriel broke in as an infielder however was moved to left discipline in 2019 and has largely been there since, other than the occasional flip at first base. Opinions on his glovework are combined, as he has a +4 within the outfield from DRS, however a -4.7 from UZR and a -16 OAA. That limits his contributions considerably however his bat has been above common in every of his 5 seasons to this point.
Financially, the Jays shall be saving a bit of cash on this deal as Gurriel shall be making $5.4MM in 2023, his remaining yr earlier than free company. Varsho, in the meantime, has 4 years of management remaining however has certified for arbitration this winter as a Tremendous Two participant. He simply squeaked in on that one, as his two years and 128 days of service time are a precise match for this year’s cutoff. He’s projected for a wage of $2.8MM by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz and can get three additional arb raises by 2026. Moreno, in the meantime, has but to succeed in arbitration with simply a few months of time within the massive leagues to this point, giving the Diamondbacks six additional years of management over his providers.
The slight monetary distinction gained’t matter a lot to the Diamondbacks however may have ramifications for the Jays. Roster Resource at present pegs the membership’s aggressive stability tax determine as only a hair over the bottom luxurious tax threshold of $233MM. These numbers are unofficial and can certainly change with future strikes all through the offseason and through the precise season. The arbitration salaries are additionally simply estimates and can have an effect on the tally as soon as they’re cemented. But when the Jays proceed to hover proper across the luxurious tax line, the small financial savings may decide which facet of that line they end on.
In the long run, each golf equipment addressed their wants by dealing from positions of power. The Jays acquired an all-around participant in Varsho who may help them this yr and sooner or later. So as to take action, they’ve subtracted from their prospect capital and catching surplus, in addition to dealing an impending free agent in Gurriel. For the Diamondbacks, they’ve despatched out a stable contributor however ought to nonetheless have a fantastic outfield with out him, they usually’ve additionally loaded their farm for future success. They now have 4 of the highest 20 prospects in baseball, with Moreno at #3 at Baseball America, adopted by Carroll at #5, shortstop Jordan Lawlar at #11 and outfielder Druw Jones at #19.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that the Jays had been near touchdown Varsho. Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported a deal was in place that concerned Varsho and Moreno. Bob Nightengale of USA Today first had the involvement of Gurriel.
Photographs courtesy of USA At present Sports activities.
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