the Toronto Blue Jays They agreed to acquire outfielder/catcher Daulton Varsho from Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for young catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., announced the difference. The two sides trade mainly from their respective strengths.
Varshaw, 26, has emerged in recent years as an above-average hitter and generally an interesting talent based on his extraordinary defensive versatility. In over 1,000 career games, he has hit .234/.306/.432 (103 OPS+) while averaging 23 home runs and 14 steals. His contributions amounted to an estimated 6.7 wins above replacement, per baseball reference.
It makes sense that Varshaw would split the time between the field and behind the plate for the Blue Jays, who earlier this winter signed Kevin Kiermayer as their starting quarterback. Toronto still has Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk out behind the plate, as well as George Springer in right field. The Blue Jays created a left field slot earlier this winter when they traded Teoscar Hernández to Seattle Mariners. Farshaw should provide additional defense there while adding a reliable left-footed batter to the lineup.
Juriel, 29, will qualify for free agency after next season. Since 2020, he has collected a .288/.334/.452 slanted streak (116 OPS+) with 37 home runs. He joins a packed Diamondbacks arena that includes talented youngsters Corbin Carroll, Alec Thomas and Jake McCarthy, as well as previous Rookie of the Year winner Kyle Lewis.
Moreno, 22, was considered one of the best prospects in baseball before he exhausted his rookie eligibility last season. In 25 games with the big league team, he batted . 319/. 356/. 377 (111 OPS+) with a home run. Moreno has received strong marks from evaluators for his pure hitting ability, and his improved defense gives him the high ground. CBS Sports rated him the best prospect in Toronto entering this past spring.
It looks like Moreno is ready to slip behind the plate for the Diamondbacks. Current assistant Carson Kelly has been a well below average hitter in two of the past three seasons.
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