The Minnesota Twins traded Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins for Pablo López, Jose Salas and Byron Chourio.

We knew this was probably going to happen, but it was still shocking to see that Jeff Passan notification pop up. Arraez was beloved in Minnesota, but his future in the Land of 10,000 Lakes was unclear.

He was one of the best offensive hitters in baseball last year, but he has defensive limitations. The Twins also have Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee knocking at the door, and it’s hard to see where Arraez gets everyday at-bats.

We know who Arraez is, so let’s focus on the three players the Twins got back in the trade.

The Twins are receiving a really good pitcher in López. He’s 26 years old and will be turning 27 in March. He’s under team control for another season, so it’s likely the Twins made this trade because they believe they can lock him up long-term.

He finished 2022 with a record of 10-10 and an ERA of 3.75. He also posted an ERA+ of 108 (100 league average), a FIP of 3.71 (the lower the better) and a WAR of 3.0.

López regressed a bit in 2022, but the talent is there. He can give you ace performances from time to time. Think of him like José Berríos; a guy who is a No. 2/3 but will give you those No. 1 outings.

His fastball runs around 94-96 MPH, with a solid changeup and cutter. Last season he finished with a strikeout percentage of 23.6 and a walk rate of 7.2 percent. He’s got good command of the ball and can go deep in ball games. He threw more than six innings 11 times last year, which is good to see, especially for a team that used their bullpen often.

The other major piece in this trade was Salas. He was the Marlins’ No. 5 prospect and Baseball Prospectus’ No. 93 prospect in baseball.

He’s still a long way away from making an impact in the big leagues, but the talent is there. The 19-year-old hit .230, with an on-base percentage of .319 in High-A – MLB ETA is 2024/2025.

Salas is a switch-hitter who could develop into a 20-home-run hitter. He’s got great speed, good plate recognition, a high baseball IQ and is a high-upside defender.

There’s a lot to like about him, and he’s going to be a guy we keep close track of in the coming years.

The other guy in the trade was Chourio, who was sort of a throw-in, but he could end up being something. It’s hard to say since he’s only 17, but he hit .344 and stole 19 bases in the DSL league.

Overall, this is a good trade for the Twins. Emotionally, it hurts to see Arraez leave, but the front office made a good business decision.

Let us know in the comment section below your thoughts on the trade.