Mike Hazen’s impact on the Arizona Diamondbacks: An interim grade

Acquired or traded

Hazen has been both bold and active in his dealings with other teams. That boldness began before Christmas when he bundled highly regarded catcher-outfielder Daulton Varsho to the Toronto Blue Jays. In exchange, Hazen got utility player Lourdes Gurriel and catching prospect Gabriel Moreno.

Moreno was the big prize. Seen as field-ready, he was handed the primary catching duties and has responded with a .256 average and +8 Defensive Runs Saved in his first season. For that, Moreno stands at +0.6 WAA. That’s not a huge number, but it’s legit big league quality.

The same is true of Gurriel, a veteran who has mostly spent time in the outfield. Gurriel’s batting .271, and he has also compiled a +0.5 WAA. Those aren’t earth-shattering totals, but they’re productive.

Short-term, the deal has fundamentally been a wash because Varsho has produced a +1.0 WAA for the Jays. But of course both Gurriel and Varsho are well into their big league careers while Moreno is viewed as a controllable star in the making, so it’s likely to be a long-time winner for Hazen.

None of Hazen’s other seven trade acquisitions have amounted to much, and one — reliever Peter Solomon — was a serious liability in his cameo appearances. Beyond that, because three of the four players Hazen lost to other teams have generated good results, his math as a trader eventually runs slightly into the negative.