Twins land lefty prospect Moya from D-backs
LOS ANGELES -- After acquiring catcher Anthony Recker from the Braves in the trade that sent lefty Jaime Garcia to the Twins on Monday, Minnesota pulled off another swap Thursday, getting Minor League reliever Gabriel Moya from the D-backs in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy.Moya, ranked as Arizona's No.
LOS ANGELES -- After acquiring catcher
Moya, ranked as Arizona's No. 25 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, is a left-hander with eye-popping numbers at Double-A, posting a 0.82 ERA with 68 strikeouts, 12 walks and just one homer allowed in 43 2/3 innings.
The 22-year-old is a former starter who possesses a four-pitch mix, allowing him to be effective against both righties and lefties. Right-handers are batting .128/.188/.165 against Moya this year, while lefties aren't faring much better at .200/.289/.300. He possesses an average fastball, but he has an above-average changeup to go along with a slider and a curveball.
Moya has served as closer this season, recording 17 saves. But with his lack of top-end velocity, he projects more as a left-handed setup man in the Majors. That's a big need for the Twins, who don't have much depth among lefty relievers beyond
Murphy, meanwhile, has struggled offensively since being traded from the Yankees for outfielder
But with catchers
Rhett Bollinger has covered the Twins for MLB.com since 2011. Follow him on Twitter **@RhettBollinger** and **Facebook**.