Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli made his first public comments after Luis Arraez was traded to the Miami Marlins, saying that while it was hard to see the All-Star second baseman leave, he’s excited for what the Twins got back in pitcher Pablo López.
“It’s really hard,” Baldelli told KSTP’s Alec Ausmus. “I already miss Luis because I know him as a human being. I know what he brought every day when he stepped on the field talent-wise, so that’s not easy. But when you look at what it does to our team overall, what it does to our rotation [and] you add that top of the rotation arm, those aren’t…opportunities that come around very often.”
The Twins traded Arraez to the Marlins on Jan. 21 in exchange for Lopez and prospects Jose Salas and Byron Chourio. The move was a tough one for the Twins, who watched Arraez win his first batting title in 2022 but also needed help in the rotation.
López is the centerpiece of the deal and should play a role in shoring up the Twins’ rotations. The 26-year-old threw a career-high 180 innings last season, going 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA. Mixing into a rotation that already includes Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle and Joe Ryan, López should add a steady presence, but Baldelli believes there is the potential for more.
“]López] is an exceptional major league pitcher and being able to hand him the ball every fifth day…that’s going to feel really good once we see him out there,” Baldelli said. “…[He’s] another wonderful human being that we’re adding to the mix…so that always makes you feel good when you add a person like that to the clubhouse.”
The Twins are hoping for the best of both worlds as their rotation ranked 20th in ERA and 27th in innings pitched last season. With the added benefit of freeing up playing time at first base for either Joey Gallo or Alex Kirilloff, the Twins should have more flexibility in their lineup, which could make the trade a success.
The #MNTwins have had an active offseason in acquiring new pieces.
Part of that was trading away batting champ, Luis Arráez.
Here's Rocco Baldelli on how hard that trade was to make, but the upside to Pablo López might be well worth it.@KSTP|@KSTPSports pic.twitter.com/GsdaYgycRc
— Alec Ausmus (@A_TwiceKSTP) January 27, 2023
