Blue Jays benefit from surprise trade for Moreno and Varsho

with young catcher Gabriel Moreno Pressure is on Toronto’s front office to ensure catcher Danny Jansen is extended beyond the 2024 season after proving to be a breakout star in the 2023 postseason.

After trading Moreno, their top prospect, and once Baseball’s top prospects – In a win-now move for OF Dalton Varsho, another consequence of the trade should be a strong incentive to lock him up long-term now. Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have +7.2 bWAR this year, compared to Varsho’s +3.9, and to avoid further embarrassment from leading the Diamondbacks to a World Series berth, Janssen’s future is in Toronto. It needs to be fixed.

Given that Janssen is in his final year of arbitration eligibility for the 2024 season and could become a free agent after next season, there should be incentive to clarify his acquisition status after next year. Moreno, 23, won’t become a free agent until 2029, so it could be a continuing painful reminder if the Jays lose Jansen after next season and Alejandro Kirk could become a free agent at the end of 2026. There is. If Moreno continues to develop into a franchise catcher in Arizona.

Janssen is Arbitration expected to yield $5.2 million His contract runs through the 2024 season, but the final year of his arbitration period can be bought out with a multi-year contract, with the possibility of an even longer extension. Comparable players include Seattle catcher Cal Lowry and Braves catcher Sean Murphy. Since Rory is not yet eligible for arbitration, 6-year, $73 million ($12.2 million AAV) contract Murphy, who signed with the Braves last December as a 28-year-old, could serve as a “gold standard” for Jansen’s contract extension.

During his 28-year-old season with Atlanta, Murphy played in 108 games and appeared in 438 at-bats, hitting .251/.365/.478/.844 with 21 home runs, 68 RBIs, and a 125 OPS+. He followed a similar trajectory before undergoing surgery on his right middle finger after sustaining a foul tip in early September, causing him to miss the rest of the season. He appeared in 86 games and 301 at-bats, hitting 17 home runs and 53 RBIs, hitting .228/.312/.474/.786 with an OPS+ of 115.

The combination of Jansen and Kirk is considered one of the best catching tandems in the game, allowing the Blue Jays to trade for the left-handed Varsho from a position that was considered strong last year. This clearly contributed to the front office’s goals of improving outfield defense and goal prevention last offseason.

according to statistics castKirk is one of the best blocking catchers in baseball, ranking second only to Murphy, who had 14 blocks above average in 2023. He was also among the top 15 in the league in framing catchers, as measured by five runs converted from strikes to runs saved. .125 on a run/strike basis. Jansen was ranked 26th with two goals conceded. Moreno was 37th with one save and one goal allowed.

The trade worked out well for both teams based on their above-average total defensive runs allowed (DRS). Varsho had a +29 DRS, which led all outfielders, Kirk had a +17, Jansen had a -2 and Moreno had a +20, which led all catchers.according to statistics museum, the D-backs were also 61-50 (.550) with Moreno as catcher, while the Blue Jays were 216-193 (.528) with Jansen catching in 409 games and 180-151 (.544) with Kirk as catcher. In 331 games.

Varsho, Kirk, and Moreno are all Gold Glove finalists at their respective positions in 2023, but this season’s rule changes have put a renewed focus on stolen bases, making it difficult for runners looking to steal second base. Moreno’s ability to throw the ball is highlighted as one of the best in the league, ranking him seventh best. Baseball’s “pop time” was 1.90 seconds, compared to Kirk’s 1.98 seconds (48th) and Jansen’s 1.99 seconds (62nd). As a result, Moreno had a catch rate of 48% as a 2B, compared to 18% for Kirk and 15% for Jansen.

With nearly $60 million in payroll costs and retained salaries taken off the books, and the competitive balance (“luxury”) tax base rising to $237 million in 2024, the Blue Jays will trade Janssen for $10 million. With the above, there is no doubt that they can afford to detain him for five to six years. A.A.V. This will also help clarify his image of catching next season and beyond.