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The Twins conducted a complete fire sale at the trade deadline this year as they shipped 11 players off their big league roster, but one significant player who stayed in place was ace right-hander . The talented righty was limited to just 14 starts this season by a hamstring strain and a shoulder strain before his season came to an end in Brian Campbell Jersey September due to a forearm strain. The fact of Lopezs injury-marred season left the Twins unable to move him at the deadline this year when they purged the majority of their veteran players, but that doesnt mean a deal cant be made this offseason. After all, the aforementioned forearm strain that ended his season came with regarding Lopezs UCL or elbow, and all indications point to him being expected to have a normal offseason and be ready for the 2026 campaign. Whats more, Lopez was nothing short of excellent when healthy this year as he pitched to a 2.79 ERA with a 3.19 FIP in 75 2/3 innings of work. Thats the sort of top-of-the-rotation potential that contending teams will want to bring in desperately this winter, and the Twins could stand to benefit from trading Lopez during an offseason where there are few free agents who offer much certainty. , , and all had tough years that didnt quite reach their typical standards, while and face health-related questions after seasons coming off major surgery. Lopez has his own flaws, of course, including his array of recent injuries and a pedestrian 4.08 ERA as recently as last year. Even so, the uncertainty surrounding this crop of free agent starters can only serve to make Lopez more attractive by comparison. Its unclear what the Twins payroll capacity or competitive expectations for 2025 are, but if the team embarks on a lengthy rebuild it would make little sense to hold onto the final two years and $43.5MM left on the Lopezs contract. Young arms like , , , , and are all likely to compete for a spot in the rotation. Holdovers and will surely be in the rotation (unle s theyre traded themselves), and could be ready for the majors at some point next year as well. That deep group of young rotation pieces makes Lopez a bit more expendable to the Twins than he would be for most teams, at least if they arent expecting to compete next year. Given the fact that Lopez would surely bring back a hefty return on the trade market and the depth the Twins currently enjoy in their rotation, using the right-hander to infuse more offensive talent into the clubs roster would make a lot of sense. With that being said, its worth noting that the Twins actually still have some notable talent on paper. Lopez, Ryan, and Ober could form a front three in the rotation that many contenders in the league would be jealous of. Star outfielder has been healthier of late and has the offensive ability to be an anchor for a playoff lineup. Players like and have shown impre sive ceilings despite their inconsistency, while young bats like and could take a big step forward. Its not impo sible to imagine a viable offensive core coming together as soon as next year, especially if top prospects like and can contribute at some point. Of course, even with those positives the Twins would need to significantly invest in the team in order to build a real contender for 2026. estimates the clubs current payroll for 2026 to fall into the range of $95MM, and while that leaves around $40MM in budget space relative to the 2025 clubs payroll its an open question how much of that (if any) will actually be reinvested into the major league club given the clear financial motivations behind this summers Correa trade. The Twins would need serious help in the bullpen in order to compete after losing , , and at the deadline, and players like and starting regularly at first base and in left field wouldnt exactly inspire confidence either. If the front office is facing substantial financial constraints that werent in place this time last year, there may be an argument for moving Lopez even if they do want to compete next year. After all, his $21.75MM salary could then be reinvested into the offense or bullpen, both of which have much le s depth than the rotation does at present. How do MLBTR readers view the situation? Should the Twins trade Lopez this offseason, either in hopes of reallocating his salary to other parts of the roster or as part of a full-scale rebuild? Or should they keep their ace in the fold to give themselves the best shot of winning next year? Have your say in the poll below: Frank Nazar Jersey |
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发表于 2025-11-16 09:59:03