Twins Trade 2B Luis Arraez To Marlins, Acquire RHP Pablo López

The trigger has been pulled on a significant trade in MLB today with the Minnesota Twins acquiring starting pitcher Pablo López from the Miami Marlins. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Later confirmed by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Marlins received All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez as the cornerstone (and only) piece of the return package. Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported that infielder Jose Salas, the No. 4 overall prospect in the Miami farm system, according to Baseball America, would go back to the Twins.

The final piece of the puzzle in terms of the completed package was outfielder Byron Chourio, who also went to Minnesota along with López and Salas.

It was a major deal and it also looks like an immediate win-win for both franchises. The Marlins acquire a legit offensive weapon in Arraez, who is the reigning American League batting champion. He is also under club control for the next three years, which is another important piece of this deal.

Arraez hit .316/.375/.420/.795 with 49 RBI in 2022. He also finished with a 4.4 WAR and can put the ball in play at a very high rate. The 25-year-old becomes the first player to win a batting title and be traded the following offseason since Hall of Famer Rod Carew was dealt to the Angels after the 1978 season.

Interestingly, in the wake of Friday’s trade, Marlins general manager Kim Ng revealed that Jazz Chisholm Jr. will now play center field. Arraez will take over at second base from Chisholm Jr., with Jean Segura manning third in 2023. Chisholm Jr. has exclusively played at second and at shortstop during his big league career. Miami have now revamped its infield and added a different dynamic to its lineup.

For the Twins, this deal ticks a lot of boxes. For starters, they significantly upgrade their rotation with the addition of López. The righty posted a 3.75 ERA in 2022 with a 10-10 record for the Marlins. He also struck out 174 batters in 180 innings. The 26-year-old has averaged 8.6 strikeouts per nine for his career.

Minnesota also received a highly-rated prospect in Salas, who stole a combined 33 bases in 2022 at Single-A. He finished the year with a .339 on-base percentage and has star potential according to scouts. Chourio, meanwhile, batted .344 in his first season in the Dominican Summer League. He’s regarded as a plus runner, hitter and defender.

While the price was high for the Twins in terms of losing a quality bat in Arraez, they add a solid starter to the rotation and get two very good prospects with high ceilings in return. It adds to an offseason that saw star shortstop Carlos Correa return to Minnesota after his agreement with the Mets fell through. Correa eventually signed a six-year, $200 million contract with the Twins.

This is a pure baseball trade all round. The Marlins upgrade their infield and boost their lineup with Arraez, while the Twins bolster their rotation and add two talented young players to their farm system. While it will take time to see how this deal ultimately shakes out, both organizations arguably got better with the trade which is a rare thing in today’s game.

The post Twins Trade 2B Luis Arraez To Marlins, Acquire RHP Pablo López first appeared on Metsmerized Online.