The Minnesota Twins improve their bullpen with the addition of Jorge López
The Minnesota Twins improved their bullpen early Tuesday morning with the addition of Jorge López. How did they do on this trade, and who was sent out?
Here’s a quick rundown of the trade:
Twins Get:
- Jorge López
Orioles Get:
Minnesota did well on this move. Cano was likely not going to become anything other than a good Triple-A arm. He’s struggled heavily for the Twins this season, posting an ERA of 9.22. He’s also 28 and is probably just reaching his peak.
Povich is the best player being sent to Baltimore in this trade, and it might come back to haunt the Twins in four years. Povich was the organization’s third-round pick last season and he’s had success pitching for the Cedar Rapids Kernels this season.
In 78.2 innings, the left-hander has an ERA of 4.46 and can pick up double-digit strikeouts with ease in any given game.
Rojas (18 years old) and Nunez (21 years old) were both pitching for the FCL Twins. They weren’t even in Low-A yet, and to predict where they’ll be in five years is a crapshoot. They may never even reach the majors, so losing them isn’t as big of a deal.
Now let’s talk about the guy you all want to hear about. López is a 29-year-old closer who made his first appearance in the All-Star Game this season. He’s recorded 19 saves and only blown four. It just so happens that two of the four came at the hands of the Twins.
He’s been a large reason the Orioles have found a lot of success this season. He’s currently 4-6, with an ERA of 1.68. He’s got great command of the ball (8.7 percent walk rate) and does well striking out opposing batters (27.6 percent)
The reason he’s had so much success this season is because of his high velocity. López throws a 98-99 MPH fastball, and that will be a deadly one-two punch with Jhoan Duran.
López has had a lot of success this year because the Orioles moved him to the bullpen. This transition has resulted in him becoming one of the best relievers in baseball.
Do you want another bonus? Of course, you do.
López is under team control until 2025. He will not be a rental, and it’s easy to envision him and Duran throwing triple-digit fastballs late in games for the foreseeable future.
The Minnesota Twins needed to improve their bullpen, and it didn’t cost them a whole lot to do so. To add an All-Star closer for a No. 22 prospect and some change is a great deal for this organization.
Grade: A+
