Former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno officially captured the National League batting title for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
With a .311 batting average, Moreno narrowly edged out Philadelphia Phillies infielder Luis Arraez and his .310 batting average for the NL batting title, becoming the first Diamondbacks player to achieve the feat.
Only Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, who hit .316 this year, had a higher batting average of any qualified hitter in the entire MLB.
Gabriel Moreno Was Once a Blue Jays Prospect
Blue Jays fans remember Moreno as a top catching prospect for the team, who chose to deal him ahead of the 2023 season, alongside outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., in exchange for then-Diamondbacks outfielder Daulton Varsho.
The trade has certainly turned into an interesting one for both clubs, as the Diamondbacks have obviously been thrilled by the player whom the 26-year-old Moreno has turned into, as he has won a Gold Glove for the team and now a batting title, while also helping lead Arizona to the 2023 World Series, where they lost to the Texas Rangers in five games.
The Blue Jays also went to the World Series in 2025 with Varsho, but the outfielder is no longer with the team, as he was traded to the Houston Astros this season at the trade deadline in exchange for pitcher Spencer Arrighetti.
Varsho was an excellent outfielder for most of the four years that he was with Toronto, so the team likely doesn’t regret making the deal, even though Moreno has turned into one of MLB’s elite catchers in Arizona.
Blue Jays Chose Alejandro Kirk Over Gabriel Moreno
The Blue Jays had a choice in 2022 between either Moreno or Alejandro Kirk as their catcher of the future, and they opted to go with Kirk, who has been a terrific player for Toronto.
Toronto could have kept both catchers, but they chose to deal Moreno and acquire an elite defensive center fielder with power in Varsho, who had a good run with the Blue Jays for nearly four years he was part of the Blue Jays rorster.
Still, it certainly isn’t easy for Blue Jays fans to watch from afar how much success Moreno has achieved so far during his career in Arizona. As well, the team still has him under team control for cheap for the next two seasons, so the Diamondbacks are obviously thrilled that they made this trade with Toronto four years ago after Moreno just put up a 6.3 bWAR season with the Diamondbacks.
For Toronto, the fact they had Kirk already meant that they had a surplus of elite catching talent, and ultimately, the team chose to stick with Kirk and deal Moreno and Gurriel for Varsho.
Overall, it feels like this has been a win-win trade for both teams to this point, but the fact that the Blue Jays ultimately only ended up with Arrighetti from the trade tree while the Diamondbacks are still enjoying Moreno’s solid bat and Gold Glove-caliber defense at catcher for at least two more seasons makes this feel like a trade Arizona will get the best of.
Former Blue Jays Catcher Gabriel Moreno Wins NL Batting Title