Twins Swap Jovani Morán for Mickey Gasper, Acquiring An Underwhelming Last-Minute X-Mas Gift

[DJL44]

Is this the move that foreshadows a Vazquez trade?

[ashbury]

#we_got_him.gif

[Parfigliano]

Combined with last year's usage this trade tells me their belief in Jair Camargo is less then zero.

[arby58]

2 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Wow - Christmas is not complete - we all got a lump of coal and the Red Sox got an actual RP.  

What makes Moran an 'actual RP?' He's not on the 40 man roster, he missed all last year with TJ surgery, and the year before he was -0.4 WAR and a 5.31 ERA. If the Twins had traded for a pitcher with those stats, the comments would be about picking up a stiff.

[Guest]

When Gasper slashes .300/.400/.900, makes the 2025 ASG and wins a GG at 1B, we'll all be toasting Falvey....

[Linus]

47 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Is this the move that foreshadows a Vazquez trade?

No way. This is AAA depth in case they suffer two catcher injuries in a short period of time. 

[Rigby]

1 hour ago, Blyleven2011 said:

When it comes to falvey , " cant you hear me knocking " , stones 1971 I think ....

Ah, c-mon, have a little Sympathy for the Devil....

[thelanges5]

Did you see any plantar fasciitis inserts when you were at Walgreens? We should help the Twins stockpile those. 

[IndianaTwin]

28 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Combined with last year's usage this trade tells me their belief in Jair Camargo is less than zero.

That was my thought. Without knowing how to compare their defense, it looks like Gasper is a clear upgrade on the hitting side. 

[bean5302]

Gasper was drafted in like the 28th round in 2018 as a senior out of college already at age 22, and the Yankees started him off in Rookie Ball. Gasper's first experience at AAA at age 27 wasn't smooth, but it was SSS.
2018 - a22, Drafted, Rookie Ball
2019 - a23, Mostly A ball, promoted to A+ late
2020 - a24, Lost season
2021 - a25, Thumb injury, lost a ton of time, was already playing with 2-5 days between games.
2022 - a26, AA, moved off catcher to 1B in May, sporadic playing time still.
2023 - a27, Mostly AA, promoted to AAA late. Played a mix of C/1B early, moved off catcher in July.
2024 - a28, MiLB Rule 5 pick by BOS, they used him as MiLB depth shifting him back down to AA. They used him as utility 1B/C, promoting him to AAA in June, then MLB in August for a few games, optioning him back down to AAA, before calling him up to end the season.

He is clearly viewed as MiLB roster filler by NYY and BOS, though his performance at the plate has actually been very good to excellent at virtually every stop. It's a bit odd, and it feels like he might have been unfairly written off due to age. There's the potential he could just need some playing time.

It's a fair exchange of guys who might have a better opportunity to actually get some MLB playing time with a change of scenery, but I suspect the Twins are just filling the AAA roster spot which was occupied by Chris Williams now that Williams is in the Mets' system.

[Jocko87]

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Every team in baseball passed on Moran in the Rule 5 but suddenly people here think he's some massive loss? Not 1 single team in all of baseball thought he'd be able to stay on their 26-man all season. Not 1.

I get it. This is a super boring trade and has been a super boring offseason. But this idea that Moran is some massive loss or even a legitimate major leaguer isn't shared by a single front office in all of major league baseball. None of them trust him, including Boston, or they would've picked him weeks ago and not have given anything up in return. 

It's a nothing trade of minor leaguers that every team does every offseason. Of course we'd all like to see some major league moves, but let's not make this more than it is. AAAA player for AAAA player. 

The worst part is that it’s the editorial bent of the crack writing staff and not the actual fan base stirring it up. 

[terrydactyls]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

Is this the move that foreshadows a Vazquez trade?

I think you may have hit the nail on the head.  That was my first thought also.

[weitz41]

So, you did your xmas shopping today at CVS or Walgrens. Pretty sure the rest on the post was not all that important. I hope the fam enjoys the overpriced candle and athletic tape/brace.

[Russ]

Lefthanded pitchers are endangered species in the Twins system. 

Plus we get another left handed bat

I wish the Twins would act like a major league team

[stringer bell]

Two questions—1) Does he have options?and 2) can he be adequate behind the plate in the major leagues?

If the answer to both is yes, then  I am okay with acquiring this guy I’ve never heard of. 

Good luck to Morán. 

[h2oface]

Writers here will probably refer to him as young, just because he hasn't been in the Show (much) yet. They also think 27 year old Moran ("...still only 27") is young. 

[Doctor Gast]

I thought the same thing, Tom. Falvey's wait-and-see strategy always puts us in a situation where he feels he has to do something at the last minute, so he frantically picks up something that other teams want to flip, something this team doesn't need, but something he feels he can spin to make the fanbase believe he did something, like a Desclavani, Margot, Richards, fruitcake, or a nail clipper. 

LHP Moran wasn't on the 40-man. Gasper was & BOS have been busy this offseason and eventually needed a roster spot so Gasper would have been DFAed so instead getting nothing fortunately for them they got something out of it. Gasper was picked up last season via Rule 5. Fangraph has him projected to play 0 games any position in MLB this season for the catcher desperate BOS & he'll take up a valuable roster space for MN.

We could use some 1B depth & desperately need catching depth. But by thinking Gasper will fill any of these needs we are deceiving ourselves again. FO should have been proactive, approached BOS & traded Paddack for Romy Gonzalez & Gasper & BOS would still have come out on top but at least we'd have accomplished something.

[Doctor Wu]

7 hours ago, Tom Froemming said:

Maybe “Wild Horses” is the Stones song we’re looking for?

my pick is:

19th Nervous Breakdown

[old nurse]

9 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Every team in baseball passed on Moran in the Rule 5 but suddenly people here think he's some massive loss? Not 1 single team in all of baseball thought he'd be able to stay on their 26-man all season. Not 1.

I get it. This is a super boring trade and has been a super boring offseason. But this idea that Moran is some massive loss or even a legitimate major leaguer isn't shared by a single front office in all of major league baseball. None of them trust him, including Boston, or they would've picked him weeks ago and not have given anything up in return. 

It's a nothing trade of minor leaguers that every team does every offseason. Of course we'd all like to see some major league moves, but let's not make this more than it is. AAAA player for AAAA player. 

Stating the obvious in an article does not inflame the base,  there used to be a little discussion on nuance of baseball by the writers. Now it is flame bait 

[Doctor Wu]

This was one of those "not sure what I think" trades. I always liked Moran's potential, and the fact that he was a lefty seemed a plus, even after his rehab from surgery. But this minor league catcher they picked up doesn't seem to move the needle much, so I can't see much reason for the trade. Not sure if this means that they really think they can move Vasquez before the season starts, or if Gaspar is more of a AAA insurance policy in place of Camargo. In any case, let's  hope for some more useful trades/acquisitions in the months ahead. 

[Whitey333]

Yawn, yawn, and double yawn.  It's a nothing move by a nothing Twins organization.  I love all the awesome well thought out comments.  Merry Christmas TD readers.

[rv78]

There is so much that can be read into this trade. As suggested, is this a footnote to a Vazquez trade? Even if he is a MiLB filler for the Yankees and Boston, Falvey probably sees him as a MLB backup. Afterall, the Twins are becoming just another AAAA team playing against the big boys that spend mega millions every year. That perrenial contender status that we were led to believe was their goal when Levine and Falvey were hired has become a thing of the past. You don't acquire a $30M shortstop and then abruptly cut payroll a year later. That's a sign of changing course back to being a pretender, not a contender. When you can't compete with the big market teams for marque players in MLB you try to improve your minor league teams. That way it looks like you are doing something, at least enough to maybe save your job.

[Tom Froemming]

8 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

The worst part is that it’s the editorial bent of the crack writing staff and not the actual fan base stirring it up. 

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

Stating the obvious in an article does not inflame the base,  there used to be a little discussion on nuance of baseball by the writers. Now it is flame bait 

This was a tongue-in-cheek attempt to poke fun at Gasper being our X-Mas present from Falvey. There's nothing in the article that suggests I didn't think the actual trade was fair. I barely even wrote about Morán, and certainly didn't gas him up when I did.

If I thought this was a terrible trade or that Morán was some kind of prize this would have been much different and not nearly as light-hearted. If my main goal was to stir up **** and flame bait, I wouldn't waste my time writing on X-Mas Eve about an insignificant trade. There would be much easier targets and more convenient times to do that.

[Tom Froemming]

8 hours ago, weitz41 said:

So, you did your xmas shopping today at CVS or Walgrens. Pretty sure the rest on the post was not all that important. I hope the fam enjoys the overpriced candle and athletic tape/brace.

There are gifts wrapped under the tree and they're going to be surprised. I feel like I checked the important boxes.

7 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Two questions—1) Does he have options?and 2) can he be adequate behind the plate in the major leagues?

If the answer to both is yes, then  I am okay with acquiring this guy I’ve never heard of. 

Good luck to Morán. 

1) Yes, Mickey Gasper has 3 options. So that's nice. He can go down to St. Paul and be depth, if that's the way things work out.

2) Based on the way Boston used him, I'd guess the answer is no, Gasper probably can't be an adequate catcher. He played 105 games and only caught 20 times last year, zero in the big leagues. 

The guys the Twins have used in this manner (Chris Williams, Alex Isola and to a lesser extent Ricardo Olivar) aren't very good behind the plate. So my assumption is Gasper is usable back there but not particularly useful. Maybe he'll surprise and clear that bar, but that's my expectation. I'd take a deeper look for myself if 1) There was more to see, and 2) It wasn't X-Mas. 

[Old Crow]

Maybe one of the Twin's crack coaching staff saw something in his swing and thought if we just adjust his launch angle 2 degrees we'd have a switch hitting power house.

[mikelink45]

10 hours ago, arby58 said:

What makes Moran an 'actual RP?' He's not on the 40 man roster, he missed all last year with TJ surgery, and the year before he was -0.4 WAR and a 5.31 ERA. If the Twins had traded for a pitcher with those stats, the comments would be about picking up a stiff.

We has a 0.3 WAR over three years.  He had some promise and he was the kind of player we usually sign hoping it will work.  We do not need this catcher on the 40 man.  And getting rid of Moran did not help the budget.  I will stick with my negative feelings on this although in the long run it might mean nothing. 

[Heistyman]

3 hours ago, old nurse said:

Stating the obvious in an article does not inflame the base,  there used to be a little discussion on nuance of baseball by the writers. Now it is flame bait 

This article really pissed me off on christmas morning and I'm sure the Gasper family was upset as well.  He looks like a solid depth LH hitting catcher with OB skills and he gets lambasted when he joins the club.

[LambchoP]

Looks like this guy gets on base a lot and doesn't strike out much. Maybe a better bat than Vasquez? If his catching defense is passable, maybe he becomes Jeffers backup and this is all a preamble to a trade of Vasquez, which in turn should allow us enough cash to trade or sign for a legit first baseman or more likely a RH corner outfielder.

[arby58]

21 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

We has a 0.3 WAR over three years.  He had some promise and he was the kind of player we usually sign hoping it will work.  We do not need this catcher on the 40 man.  And getting rid of Moran did not help the budget.  I will stick with my negative feelings on this although in the long run it might mean nothing. 

A 0.3 WAR over three years is practically the definition of a replacement player. Besides the 5.31 ERA in 2023, he also had a 1.465 WHIP. That's not a pitcher we need on the 40 man either. We traded a bag of balls for another bag of balls.

[Patzky]

13 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Every team in baseball passed on Moran in the Rule 5 but suddenly people here think he's some massive loss? Not 1 single team in all of baseball thought he'd be able to stay on their 26-man all season. Not 1.

I get it. This is a super boring trade and has been a super boring offseason. But this idea that Moran is some massive loss or even a legitimate major leaguer isn't shared by a single front office in all of major league baseball. None of them trust him, including Boston, or they would've picked him weeks ago and not have given anything up in return. 

It's a nothing trade of minor leaguers that every team does every offseason. Of course we'd all like to see some major league moves, but let's not make this more than it is. AAAA player for AAAA player. 

I think they all had too much Tom and Jerry's and thought we traded Duran not Moran.