Christmas Eve didn’t stop the Red Sox from making a minor move.
Boston traded catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper to the Twins for lefty reliever Jovani Morán, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. The move, much like Saturday’s trade that sent lefty Cam Booser to the White Sox, clears a 40-man roster spot. Boston will need one to make the addition of starter Walker Buehler official in the coming days.
Morán, who turns 28 in late April, will not go on Boston’s 40-man roster but does have a fair amount of big league time with the Twins. He emerged as an important member of Minnesota’s bullpen in 2022 (posting a 2.21 ERA and striking out 54 batters) and in total, has a 4.15 ERA in 91 innings over the last three years. The Puerto Rico native struggled to a 5.31 ERA in 43 games, then missed the end of the season due to a forearm strain before undergoing Tommy John surgery after the year. The Twins non-tendered him, then re-signed him to a minor league contract before he missed all of 2024.
It’s unclear if Morán will be ready for Opening Day, but when he is healthy, he’ll provided a left-handed depth option for the Red Sox, who have changed up that area of their roster so far this winter by adding veterans Aroldis Chapman and Justin Wilson and dealing off Booser. Wilson, Chapman, Brennan Bernardino, Zach Penrod and the rehabbing Chris Murphy are on the 40-man roster, Morán will likely begin the year at Triple-A. He has always posted high strikeout numbers (11.1 K/9 in the majors) but has been wild, too (5.1 BB/9). He has shown an ability to get both righties and lefties throughout his big league career.
Gasper, a 29-year-old New Hampshire native who went to Bryant University, made his debut for Boston last year, going hitless (0-for-18) while striking out eight times and working four walks. He was offensively dominant in the minors, though, batting .328 (102-for-311) with a .970 OPS in 92 games split between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester. Gasper had fallen down the depth chart with Boston’s trade for ex-Yankee Carlos Narvaez; Narvaez is expected to serve as the backup to starter Connor Wong but the Sox are still in the market for more additions.
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