Twins trade John Ryan Murphy to Diamondbacks for pitching prospect Gabriel Moya

This morning the Minnesota Twins traded catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In exchange, the Twins receive left-handed pitching prospect Gabriel Moya. Here’s a quick look at the newest Twin.

Gabriel Moya, LHP: The Diamondbacks signed Moya out of Venezuela in 2012. Despite a relative lack of press he’s been quite successful, posting a 1.55 ERA between Low-A and High-A in 2016 with an excellent 82/17 K/BB in 64 innings. He followed that with more strong pitching in 2017, posting a minuscule 0.82 ERA in 44 innings for Double-A Jackson with 68/12 K/BB. He’s also collected 17 saves this year in 17 opportunities.

Moya is listed at 6-0, 175, born January 9th, 1995. His best pitch is his change-up with tailing action. His fastball is around 89-92 but plays up due to his ability to change speeds and locate his pitches. He also has a fair slider. Moya has a history of reverse platoon splits and right-handed hitters seem to have a hard time picking him up.

Moya could be a very useful bullpen asset down the line. He is a nice exchange for a backup catcher excess to Minnesota’s needs.