Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Blue Jays trade paying huge dividends for D-backs in NLCS

By Sean Keane | Last updated 10/21/23

In December, the Arizona Diamondbacks traded for their catcher of the future. That future has arrived early this October.

When Arizona had a surplus of left-handed-hitting outfielders, they traded outfielder and occasional catcher Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and catcher Gabriel Moreno.

For Toronto, they got a cheaper, cost-controlled player in Varsho (who won't be a free agent until after the 2026 season) and traded from their catching depth.

For Arizona, they got two of the players most responsible for evening their National League Championship Series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

In Game 4, Moreno had the game-winning hit in the eighth inning off Jose Alvarado, the 23-year-old's eighth RBI of the playoffs.

23-year-old Gabriel Moreno

Youngest catcher in history with 3 Home Runs & 8 RBI in a single postseason pic.twitter.com/gJrXawo33N
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 21, 2023

Moreno also singled in Arizona's second run of the game, and walked to load the bases ahead of Christian Walker's RBI walk in the seventh.

Gurriel had two hits and a walk in Arizona's come-from-behind win in Game 3. He doubled in Arizona's first run in the seventh inning, and started the team's ninth-inning rally with a leadoff walk off Craig Kimbrel.

The D-backs answer with a Lourdes Gurriel Jr. RBI double down the left-field line.

Alek Thomas (pinch ran for Tommy Pham) scored from first.pic.twitter.com/6Md0Si4s8G
— Alex Weiner (@alexjweiner) October 19, 2023

In Game 4, Gurriel robbed J.P. Realmuto with a leaping catch at the wall in the second inning.

OH LOURDES!!! pic.twitter.com/ugNv1ctGko
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) October 21, 2023

Then he led off the eighth inning with a double, just ahead of Alek Thomas' game-tying home run.

ALEK THOMAS TIES IT! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/bucXC3XFMz
— MLB (@MLB) October 21, 2023

Moreno had a strong first year with the Diamondbacks, slashing .284/.339/.408 and playing stellar defense behind the plate — he's a Gold Glove finalist.

Gurriel hit 24 home runs and knocked in 82 while playing excellent defense himself. As for Varsho, he slumped to a .220 average and a sub-.300 on-base percentage — bad numbers for a catcher, but especially poor for a guy who spent most of his time in left field.

Gurriel is a free agent after this season, but Moreno should be a Diamondback for a long time. Still, the Diamondbacks are just happy to have the pair right now, where they're keeping Arizona's ahead-of-schedule World Series dreams alive.

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