Why We Still Don’t Know Who Won the Varsho for Moreno Trade

Following the 2022 campaign, the Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks lined up on a deal that was designed to help both teams out equally in the short- and long-term.

Toronto had already moved Teoscar Hernandez to Seattle and was looking to swap some offensive thump for defensive prowess, especially in the outfield. They also had three big league-ready catchers for only two roster spots. Something had to give.

Arizona had way too many outfielders and were without a consistent option behind the plate.

Gabriel Moreno, the Blue Jays’ top prospect and Just Baseball’s No. 6 overall prospect at the time, was shipped to the desert alongside outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who also was an all bat, no glove player that the Jays were willing to move.

Coming back to Toronto was speedy catcher-turned-outfielder Daulton Varsho, who hit well for the Diamondbacks and seamlessly took to the outfield after coming up as a backstop. The expectation was that he’d give the Blue Jays Gold Glove-caliber defense and hit around 30 home runs, as he had previously in 2022.

In year one of this deal playing out, the Diamondbacks seemed to be the “winners” of the swap. Moreno and Gurriel were both above-average contributors to a team that made it all the way to the World Series. On the flip side, Varsho flopped (offensively) and simply didn’t immediately become the player Blue Jays fans wanted him to be.

However, this is not a move that’s going to instantaneously feature a clear winner and a clear loser. Let’s take a closer look at this infamous move and why it’s still too early to tell who’s going to come out on top.

Why Did the Diamondbacks Make This Trade?

In the outfield, Arizona had Varsho, Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy all available as starting-caliber options. Each of the quartet had impressive campaigns the year prior and were going to be four every day players to fit into three spots.

Varsho and his unique blend of pop and defensive prowess made him the most attractive asset for the Blue Jays – outside of Carroll, of course, but he would’ve been much more difficult to acquire.

The inclusion of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was an odd one at the time, especially because the Dbacks only made this trade to, well, get rid of an outfielder. Depending on who you ask, the Blue Jays may or may not have insisted that the Dbacks take him off their hands, as rumor has it they were looking to move some of the players who caused the clubhouse culture to be too lax and humorous, and they were looking to take a more serious tone when it comes to winning games.

Gurriel was a pending free agent at the time of the trade and while he has since been re-signed, the general consensus is that this deal is Varsho-for-Moreno, which is the angle we’re using to look back at the move.

Why Did the Blue Jays Make This Trade?

Much like the Dbacks’ situation, the Blue Jays had a logjam that needed to be solved. Moreno, Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk were all ready to settle into full-time roles in the big leagues at the time of this deal.

Moreno offered all the potential in the world while Jansen had a streaky but inconsistent bat and Kirk was fresh off of an All-Star Game and Silver Slugger Award.

At the time of this deal shaking out, Moreno felt like the last catcher the Blue Jays would be willing to move. Instead, Arizona said he was the asking price if the Jays were serious about acquiring Varsho over any of their other available outfield options.

Bringing Varsho aboard was a massive good-intentions move by Ross Atkins and Co., as he was young, athletic and full of potential. The Blue Jays felt that his bat would play well in Rogers Centre and that he’d blossom into a star for the long run.

How did Gabriel Moreno Do for the 2023 Diamondbacks?

Moreno’s highly impressive rookie year left many in the industry thinking that this deal was a fleece job by the Dbacks. The slick-fielding backstop .284 with a .747 OPS and 104 OPS+ across 111 games, but he hit only seven home runs. He was always more of a contact hitter than a power hitter throughout his minor league career, but the homer count was a bit low.

On defense, he saw him become one of the best, if not the best defensive catchers in baseball. Moreno finished in the 94th percentile in Blocking, 100th in Caught Stealing Above-Average and 86th in Pop Time. He showed off an excellent throwing arm and rather easily won a Gold Glove Award in his first full season in the big leagues.