After months of speculation and interest from multiple teams, the Diamondbacks finally traded a left-handed batter, and the Blue Jays finally traded one of their own. The two clubs were united on Friday with an offer for three players who saw an outfielder Dalton Farshaw Head to Toronto for the recipient Gabriel Moreno And a defensive player Lourdes Gurriel Jr.In a career that ticks several boxes for both organizations.
Given how well the D’Backs and Jays’ needs align, it’s not surprising that Toronto General Manager Ross Atkins says, Since the beginning of the season in which this dialogue beganbetween the two sides.
” It was a perfect match for our oversubscribers, especially our left-center hitters and our over-catch needs.Atkins told reporters, including TSN’s Scott Mitchell. ” From the beginning, we thought it was going to be a very important and relevant team. »
The Blue Jays entered the winter with Moreno, Alexander Kirkand the Danny Jansen They’ve all been named options behind the plate as Moreno (one of the best prospects in the game) looks ready for an extended tryout after making his MLB debut with 25 games in 2022. While Varsho only has 283 MLB games on his resume, he’s already had the most Arizona outer core experience – Corbin Carroll and the Alex Thomas Both made their major league debuts in 2022, and Jake McCarthy He played 123 games for the Diamondbacks over the past two seasons.
Farshaw’s longer record seems to have made him the player most sought after by interested teams, especially since the D’Backs made Carroll (another elite prospect) untouchable in trade negotiations. With the Diamondbacks wanting to add ” effect in this tradeThis need, according to Arizona general manager Mike Hazen, cannot be met simply by buying Thomas or McCarthy.
” I think there was more certainty – and we obviously get that too – with Daulton’s performance up to this point in his career, and it may be true, that teams were willing to pay more for it. I don’t know if we would have gotten past this dichotomy any other wayHazen told The Arizona Republic’s Nick Pekoro and other reporters.
Teams such as the Yankees, Reds, White Sox, Athletics, Astros, Brewers, and Marlins were also rumored to be attached to Diamondbacks players, with suitors and rebuilding teams interested in mixing in young, manageable players from Arizona. Likewise, Toronto has received a lot of calls about its catchers, but reports indicated that the Blue Jays initially wanted to wait and see where other free market catchers and dealers landed. Once you are brave Shaun Murphy from Oakland and once Wilson Contreras (cardinals) f Christian Vasquez He (the Twins) signed, then the way was clearer for the D’Backs and Jays to line up the trade.
Even then, Atkins said finding a match had been difficult since ” Every one of our three receivers was interested in them and all of their players were interested in us. The thing that made it difficult was that we were trying to get more talent into our major league roster. They are looking to make clear steps forward and push the boundaries of the winning front, which is why Lourdes Gurriel stepped in and made this deal work.. ”
The inclusion of veteran but not too old Gurriel D’Backs (Gurriel entered is 29) gives the inclusion of Carroll, McCarthy, Thomas, and the former AL Rookie Of The Kyle Lewis, which was acquired in another trade with the Mariners earlier this winter. ” Hopefully, the connection, base, hitting ability, and two-hit approach will make our list more challenging with how some of these kids handle the bases as well as they did last year.Hazen said. ” I feel like a lot of these dynamic attacks have a chance to grow. ”
The trade to the Jays and Mariners represented Arizona’s biggest move of the winter, as the D’Backs focused mostly on their bases with relatively low-profile moves such as signals. Michael Castro and the Scott McGough. Friday also saw the completion of another trade brought in by the D’Backs Diego Castillo of pirates to add more depth to the mix.
With Arizona still trying to find its footing after three straight losing seasons, the Blue Jays are in a different position as the club intends to compete for the World Series in 2023. After a disappointing slump against Seattle in the Wild Card Series, they have been aggressive in signing right-handers. Chris Bassett to a three-year, $63 million deal Kevin Kiermayer For a one-year contract, negotiate Teuscar Hernandez for sailors Eric Swanson and possibility Adam Mako.
Now that the Jays have finally pulled the trigger on the receiver trade, Atkins said,I think weightlifting is overFor the rest of the holiday season, the front office. »Certainly nothing to leave out and we expect some additional improvements. Farshaw and Kiermeyer are both left-handed hitters, so the Blue JaysWe’re looking to improve our team with Gurriel setup but in our opinion he doesn’t need left or right, it’s all about influencing and adjusting afterwards. ”
