The Arizona Diamondbacks sure are enjoying last year’s Christmas present from the Toronto Blue Jays.
On Dec. 23, the Diamondbacks acquired catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. from the Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Daulton Varsho.
With both homegrown Blue Jays providing strong contributions, the underdog Diamondbacks advanced to the World Series on Tuesday with a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 7 of the NLCS.
“Definitely a dream come true,” Moreno said through a translator in an interview with Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling. “(He is) super excited that everybody has contributed and it’s a result of all the teamwork that’s been done. It’s not over yet.”
Moreno, 23, delivered the go-ahead single in the fifth inning. He has three homers and nine RBIs in the playoffs.
Gurriel, 30, has five extra-base hits and six RBIs in the playoffs — including a home run in Game 6. He made the all-star game for the first time this year.
“(The Diamondbacks) were super focused on executing our plan and keeping things simple,” Moreno said. “(The team) almost went perfect on execution.”
Varsho, meanwhile, gave the Blue Jays excellent defence in the outfield, but had a down year offensively. The Blue Jays didn’t win a playoff game, losing 2-0 to the Minnesota Twins in the wild-card round.
Earlier this month, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro backed the decision to make the deal, calling it a “good trade” that will require four or five years to evaluate properly.
Gurriel, Moreno and the Diamondbacks will face another prominent former Blue Jay, second baseman Marcus Semien, in the World Series when Arizona battles the Texas Rangers.
Watch Game 1 on Friday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+.