the Blue Jays acquired interesting talent from the Diamondbacks in a three-player deal

il Toronto Blue Jays They agreed to acquire outfielder/catcher Daulton Varsho from Arizona Diamondback In exchange for young catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., announced the difference. The two sides trade primarily from their respective strengths.

Farshaw, 26, has emerged in recent years as an above average hitter and generally an interesting talent based on his tremendous defensive versatility. In over 1,000 career games, he hit .234 / .306 / .432 (103 OPS+) while averaging 23 home runs and 14 steals. His contributions amounted to about 6.7 wins over replacement, for baseball reference.

It makes sense that Varshaw would split time between the field and behind the plate for the Blue Jays, who signed Kevin Kiermayer as their starting quarterback earlier this winter. Toronto still has Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk 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 sailors. Varshaw should provide additional defense there as he adds a reliable left-handed hitter to the lineup.

Juriel, 29, will qualify for free agency after next season. Since 2020, he has racked up a sloping streak of .288 / .334 / .452 (116 OPS+) with 37 home runs. He joins a crowded arena of Diamondbacks 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 baseball’s top prospects before he ran out of rookie eligibility last season. In 25 games with the big league team, he batted .319/0.356/0.377 (111 OPS+) with one home run. Moreno has received high marks from the evaluators for his sheer hitting ability, and his improved defense gives him a high standing. CBS Sports ranked him the top prospect in Toronto last spring.

It looks like Moreno is ready to slide behind the plate for the Diamondbacks. Current assistant Carson Kelly has been a well below average hitter in two of the last three seasons.