Red Sox make a minor trade with the Twins, clearing a 40-man roster spot
The Red Sox made a minor trade on Christmas Eve.
Boston traded catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper to the Twins for lefty reliever Jovani Morán, according to The Pesky Report Podcast’s Hunter Noll.
The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster that will allow the team to formally announce the signing of right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler. The Sox signed Buehler to a one-year, $21.05 million deal on Monday, marking their second significant move to improve the rotation this offseason.
This is the second trade in the last few days; Boston sent left-handed pitcher Cam Booser to the White Sox for a minor league pitcher.
Gasper joined the Red Sox after he was picked up in the minor league phase of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. The 29-year-old made his major league debut last season; his first in the Red Sox organization went hitless (0-for-18) with eight strikeouts and four walks. He crushed the cover off the ball in the minors, batting .328 (102-for-311) with a .970 OPS in 92 games split between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester.
The New Hampshire native showed versatility last season playing first base, second base, and behind the dish with both Boston and Worcester. His versatility could carve out a spot for him on the Twins bench while offering depth behind the Twins’ catchers Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez. Minnesota has reportedly been looking to trade Vazquez and move his contract, which would allow Gasper to serve as Jeffers’ backup.
With the acquisition of Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees earlier this month and veteran catcher Seby Zavala, Gasper seemingly fell down the depth chart. Narvaez is currently slated to serve as the backup to Connor Wong, while Zavala should start the season with Triple-A Worcester. Boston could add additional catching help this offseason to stash at the upper levels of the system.
Morán, 27, will not require a spot on the 40-man roster and should begin his season with the WooSox. It is unclear whether he will be ready for the beginning of the season after ongoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, subsequently missing all of the 2024 season. The lefty pitched in 43 games in 2023, going 2-2 with a 4.15 ERA, 3.82 FIP, with 48 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings (43 games).
From 2022-23, Morán was one of the top left-handed relievers in the game at generating strikeouts. Among southpaw relievers with at least 50 frames pitched, Morán’s 29.3 percent strikeout rate ranked 12th best. He features a nasty changeup that produced a 51 percent whiff rate in 2023, according to FanGraphs.
Boston has already added two other lefties to revamp the bullpen in Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson. Once Morán is healthy, he will be an option in the upper minors to quickly join the 26-man roster next season.
