D-backs trade Daulton Varsho to Blue Jays for top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno

The Arizona Diamondbacks made a big splash on Friday, trading outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays for a package that includes top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno, the team announced.

The D-backs also received 29-year-old outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. as a part of the deal.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the package for the deal.

Moreno, 22, notched 73 plate appearances over 69 games in his first season in the big leagues in 2022, slashing .319/.358/.377 with a .733 OPS.

“Gabby Moreno is very, very good. Elite bat-to-ball. Enormous arm behind the plate. All-Star-caliber talent,” Passan tweeted.

Moreno ranked as the No. 7 prospect in all of baseball during MLB’s 2022 midseason prospect rankings.

Gurriel hit .291 with five home runs, 52 RBIs and 31 walks over 453 ABs in 121 games for Toronto. He will be playing his sixth season in the majors after playing his first five with Toronto.

Varsho was a hot name during the 2022 winter meetings as one of Arizona’s young surplus outfielders and ability to hit for power while maintaining an excellent glove in the outfield.

In his third season with Arizona, Varsho hit .235 with 27 homers, 74 RBIs and 46 walks.

The D-backs will move forward with the outfielding trio of Alek Thomas, Corbin Carroll and Jake McCarthy as the future of the ballclub.