Jorge Lopez Elects Free Agency Jorge Lopez Elects Free Agency

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The Orioles announced this morning that right-hander  has cleared waivers and elected free agency. Hell test the open market this offseason alongside a bevy of who figure to be available this offseason.  Lopez, 30, made his MLB debut back in 2015 with the Brewers and bounced around the league as a swing option for several years, struggling to a 6.04 ERA and 5.15 FIP from 2015-21 while playing for Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Baltimore. Prior to the 2022 campaign, the Orioles moved Lopez to the bullpen full time, and the early returns on that decision looked to Trevor Linden Jersey  be nothing short of revelatory: the righty was among the most dominant relievers in baseball for Baltimore in 2022, earning his first career All Star appearance while posting a 1.68 ERA with a 2.99 FIP and 27.6% strikeout rate acro s 48 1/3 innings of work.  On the back of those career-best numbers, the Orioles shipped Lopez to the Twins for a prospect package that included right-hander  and lefty  . While the trade was a controversial one at the time thanks to the young Baltimore squads impre sive run to that point in 2022, the move proved prescient. While Cano has broken out as an elite set-up man for the Orioles in 2023 and Povich is one of the clubs best pitching prospects, Lopez regre sed with the Twins last year, posting a 4.37 ERA and 4.35 FIP in Minnesota that was 10% worse than league average by measure of ERA+.  While the Twins brought Lopez back to open the 2023 campaign, his struggles grew even worse this year. After 35 1/3 innings of 5.09 ERA baseball, Minnesota agreed to a change-of-scenery swap with the Marlins that sent Lopez to Miami in exchange for veteran righty  . Lopez continued to struggle in Miami to the point where the club designated him for a signment, leading him to return to the Orioles. His return to Baltimore saw his 2023 struggles continue, and he ended the season with a 5.95 ERA and 5.76 FIP in 61 appearances.  While Lopezs huge succe s with the Orioles last season will surely pique the interest of clubs, his struggles this season figure to give even the most intrigued clubs some level of pause. Its certainly po sible hell be limited to minor league offers this offseason and have to earn his way back onto a major league roster for 2024 during Spring Training.  Alexander Mogilny Jersey