MLB Weekly Digest December 26th Edition: D-Backs Trade Varsho

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The prior week in MLB was about an outfielder that was traded, a club in the National League signed an outfielder to a multi-year contract, and a team signed a veteran reliever.

Arizona Diamondbacks Trade Outfielder Daulton Varsho to Toronto Blue Jays For Moreno, Gurriel

The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

OFFICIAL: We've acquired Gold Glove Finalist and All-MLB Finalist OF Daulton Varsho from the Dbacks in exchange for OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and C Gabriel Moreno.

Welcome to the #BlueJays, @DaultonVarsho25! pic.twitter.com/8veMoy8ZTt

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) December 23, 2022

This is a terrific deal for both teams, as the Blue Jays needed an outfielder, and the Diamondbacks needed a catcher.

Varsho is coming off an outstanding 2022 campaign with the Diamondbacks.

He posted a .235 batting average and .745 OPS in 151 games with 79 runs scored, 23 doubles, three triples, 27 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases.

Varsho also played terrific defense in the outfield.

Moreno was one of the better prospects in MLB last year.

He compiled a .319 average and .733 OPS in 25 games with one home run and seven RBIs.

Gurriel had a solid year with the Blue Jays by authoring a .291 average and .743 OPS in 121 games with 52 runs scored, 32 doubles, one triple, five home runs, 52 RBIs, and three stolen bases.

The deal is great as both teams had a surplus the other team needed.

The Blue Jays had too many catchers on their roster, and the Diamondbacks had a plethora of outfielders.

San Francisco Giants Sign Outfielder Michael Conforto to Two-Year Contract

The San Francisco Giants have signed outfielder Michael Conforto to a two-year contract worth $36 million.

The deal contains an opt-out clause after 2023, per Buster Olney of ESPN.

Michael Conforto's 2-year, $36 million agreement with the Giants contains an opt-out after Year 1.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 23, 2022

Conforto missed all of the 2022 season after undergoing shoulder surgery in April.

He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the New York Mets.

In 2021 with the Mets, the outfielder posted a .232 average and .729 OPS in 125 games with 52 runs scored, 94 hits, 20 doubles, 14 home runs, 55 RBIs, and one stolen base.

The Giants plan to utilize an outfield of Mike Yastrzemski in center, with Conforto and Mitch Haniger fielding the corner outfield spots, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports.

Giants plan to play Yastrzemski in center and Haniger/Conforto in the corners, with Pederson at DH and Wade seeing more time at first base. It’s still a disappointing offseason because of the Correa mess, but outfield defense should be vastly improved, which was necessary.

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) December 23, 2022

Philadelphia Phillies Sign Reliever Craig Kimbrel to One-Year Deal

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Philadelphia Phillies have signed reliever Craig Kimbrel to a one-year contract worth $10 million.

Reliever Craig Kimbrel and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a one-year, $10 million contract, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN. First with the deal: @Ken_Rosenthal.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 23, 2022

Kimbrel is coming off a disappointing 2022 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The right-handed reliever posted a 3.75 ERA in 60 innings pitched (63 games) with 72 strikeouts, 28 walks issued, four home runs surrendered, a 1.31 WHIP, and five blown saves.

Kimbrel eventually lost his job as their closer and was left off the postseason roster.

He has had a MLB great career, which includes winning Reliever of the Year three times, and his 394 saves are seventh all-time.

If Kimbrel can recapture his form from several years ago, it would be a boost to the Phillies bullpen.

Whether Kimbrel will compete for a chance to close or be the setup guy is unknown.

About Post Author

Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

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