Mike Hazen Clarifies Roles for Newly Acquired Players
The Diamondbacks swung a pair of trades today, first acquiring infielder Diego Castillo from the Pittsburgh Pirates, then sending Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Those two trades created a major shake-up for both the roster and lineup. General manager Mike Hazen spoke with the media via Zoom and clarified the intended roles for these newly acquired players.
These are the main takeaways for how they plan to use those players:
Moreno Will Open 2023 As Backup Catcher
Hazen made it obvious right away that they're keeping Carson Kelly for the 2023 season and not likely entertaining any deals for the 28-year-old backstop. He also added that Moreno is a catcher, and likely won't play any other positions in the field. Going into 2023, it looks like Kelly will be the starter while Moreno gets the backup role with some appearances as the designated hitter. It's also worth noting that in Toronto, Moreno had 17 of his 18 starts as a catcher, playing 147.2 out of 156.2 innings.
It's an interesting situation given both catchers bat right-handed. At the same time, Hazen said this setup would give Moreno a runway to potentially grow at his own pace, both at and behind the dish. It's not too dissimilar to when the D-backs brought in Kelly in the 2019 season. Initially he split time with both Alex Avila and John Ryan Murphy, but a breakout offensive performance earned him the everyday job and 85 of the team's starts. It may come out towards the second half of the season that Moreno gets a larger share of starts behind the plate, depending on the performances of both catchers.
Gurriel to Play Left Field
Gurriel originally came up as a middle infielder, but moved into the outfield after struggling at both second base and shortstop for the Blue Jays. Since the 2020 season, he has played vast majority of his games in left field. That should continue in Arizona, where he'll play in left field and get starts as the designated hitter when the D-backs want to start their best defensive outfield.
Statcast and Baseball Info Solutions give mixed reviews on Gurriel's defensive skills in left field. Statcast's Outs Above Average metric ranked the 29-year-old outfielder as two outs below average while BIS credited him with saving three runs. It's an interesting mix, but Gurriel isn't in the lineup for his glove. It might be interesting to see how his performance improves after working with first base coach and outfield instructor Dave McKay.
Castillo Will Play Multiple Infield Positions
The D-backs will have a starting infield of Josh Rojas, Nick Ahmed, Ketel Marte, and Christian Walker against right-handed pitchers. Castillo played mostly at second base, shortstop, and right field for the Pirates in 2022. He had a .788 OPS with nine of his 11 home runs against left-handed pitching in his debut season, so he's a potential platoon partner with Rojas at third base but could get some starts at short and second to spell Ahmed and Marte. Castillo likely won't factor in the outfield mix at all.
