Red Sox pick up lefty reliever Jovani Morán for Mickey Gasper

The Red Sox decided to do some late holiday shopping, acquiring lefthanded pitcher Jovani Morán from Minnesota Tuesday in exchange for catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper. Morán is 27-year-old reliever who has 79 games of MLB experience, all with the Twins from 2021-23. He owns a 2-3 career record with a 4.15 ERA, holding foes to a .208 batting average while posting a 1.33 WHIP, fanning 112 and walking 52 in 91 innings, with only three home runs surrendered. The former seventh-round pick in the 2015 Draft missed the entire 2024 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. The Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, native attended the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy and played for Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Gasper, 29, made his MLB debut in 2024, appearing in 13 games for the Red Sox, but he went hitless in 18 at-bats, walking four times and scoring a run, to go with eight strikeouts. The switch-hitter played in 92 minor league games between Double A Portland and Triple A Worcester, batting .328 (102-for-311) with a .970 OPS. Originally selected by the Yankees in the 27th round of the 2018 Draft, the Merrimack, N.H., native was picked by Boston in the minor league phase of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. After the deal, Boston’s 40-man roster is now at 39.