On Christmas Eve, the Minnesota Twins made a minor trade with the Boston Red Sox. The Twins sent relief pitcher Jovani Morán to Boston for catcher/first-baseman Mickey Gasper. This trade ends Moran’s brief tenure in the Twin Cities, while Gasper has an opportunity for more playing time at the major league level.
Morán was drafted by the Twins in the seventh round from the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico in 2015. He made his professional baseball debut with the GCL Twins that season, finishing with a record of 0-2 and a 4.12 ERA.
2016 saw Morán miss an entire season of baseball due to left elbow surgery, but the left-hander rebounded in 2017 at Elizabethton with a 0.36 ERA in 24.2 innings. Despite missing the 2020 minor league season due to COVID-19, Morán reached the MLB level in 2021 and pitched in 79 games with the Twins through three years. After the 2023 season, Morán underwent Tommy John Surgery and missed the 2024 season.
During his tenure with the Twins, Morán was know for having a strong changup and was proficient at generating strikeout numbers. In the 74 games he pitched in from 2022-23, Morán had an 11.1 SO/9 radio. If he can develop more control, he can be an asset for the Red Sox.
Mickey Gasper had a long and winding road to reaching the major league level last season. Gasper was a 27th-round draft pick in 2018 by the New York Yankees out of Bryant University and played in their minor league system for five years. Although he reached AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre IN 2023, the Red Sox claimed Gasper in the Rule 5 Draft that December.
After producing at AAA Worcester, the Red Sox called up Gasper last August. However, Gasper failed to register his first career MLB hit in 23 plate appearances in 2024.
Given that the Twins non-tendered Morán after his Tommy John surgery announcement, one had to figure that he would not be in the organization’s plans. By adding a versatile infielder in Gasper, the Twins added depth to two positions for next season. One of which is a position that is a major need.