Rocco Baldelli, the head coach of the Minnesota Twins, announced his resignation because of…
Lopez is selected before Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack, and Bailey Ober. With the departures of Kenta Maeda and Sonny Gray via free agency, the Twins have multiple holes in their rotation. For the duration of the winter, these demands must be met, either by internal candidates, trades, or outside purchases.
Lopez, 27, pitched well for Minnesota last season, going 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA. He won the American League All-Star title after pitching 194.0 innings and striking out 234 batters. In order to tend to Ryan and Maeda’s injuries, he oversaw a rotation.
That was his first season in Minnesota after five years with the Miami Marlins. In the previous offseason trade, Luis Arraez—who would go on to win the National League batting title—was acquired for him.
Lopez has a 3.86 ERA and a 39-39 lifetime record. He started the Twins’ first postseason game the previous season. Minnesota won the American League Central division and went on to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays in that round before losing to the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series.
