SAD NEWS: The Minnesota Twins’ head coach, Rocco Baldelli, was involved in an accident that resulted in…
Prior to Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack, and Bailey Ober, Lopez is chosen. The Twins’ rotation is riddled with holes after Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda left via free agency. These needs must be satisfied for the duration of the winter, through internal candidates, trades, or purchases from outside sources.
The 27-year-old Lopez had a strong season last year for Minnesota, going 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA. He pitched 194.0 innings, struck out 234 hitters, and was named an American League All-Star. He oversaw a rotation so that he could tend to the injuries of Ryan and Maeda.
Having spent five years with the Miami Marlins, that was his first season in Minnesota. He was traded for Luis Arraez, the National League batting champion, in the previous offseason transaction.
Lopez has a 39-39 career record and a 3.86 ERA. The previous season, he started the Twins’ opening postseason game. Prior to falling to the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series, Minnesota won the American League Central division and swept the Toronto Blue Jays in that round.
