The Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins pulled off a blockbuster trade Friday, with Minnesota sending AL batting champion Luis Arraez to Miami in exchange for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez and two minor leaguers.
Arraez, 25, had a breakout season for the Twins last season, batting a league-best .316 with eight home runs and 49 RBIs in 144 games while denying the Yankees’ Aaron Judge (.311) a Triple Crown. The return of shortstop Carlos Correa allowed Minnesota to deal from a position of strength.
''Anytime you have a player that's well-liked in the environment, who you know is going to go work and do it every day which we got to see with Luis, it makes it harder,'' Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. ''We'd love to have Luis and Pablo on our team, but to get something as impactful as what Pablo brings to our team, you have to give something impactful.''
The 26-year-old Lopez went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in a career-best 180 innings over 32 starts last season, his fifth in the major leagues. He posted a 1.83 ERA in his first 10 starts and pitched to a 2.86 ERA through the All-Star break before slumping to a 4.97 ERA in the second half.
The right-hander shoulder bolster a deep rotation that features Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda and Joey Ryan.
''I'm really excited about coming to this team, the leaders they have in the clubhouse and the players they have to support each other,'' Lopez said on a video interview with reporters. ''It's a mentality that really motivates me too. I ask and expect more of myself when it comes to my performance and the ways I can help out the team.''
Also headed to Minnesota in the deal are infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio. The 19-year-old Salas was picked as the organisation’s fifth-best prospect in the most recent MLB Pipeline rankings. Chourio, 17, played in the Dominican Summer League last season after signing with the Marlins in June.
Arraez spent most of his time at first base last season for the Twins, with 61 starts there, 34 at designated hitter and 31 at second base. He also appeared at third base and left field.
He is one of baseball’s toughest outs with only 131 strikeouts in 1,569 career plate appearances. Arraez only had 14 career homers in 389 games, but has a career on-base percentage of .374.
Even with Lopez’s departure, the Marlins still have a rotation topped by NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and newly acquired right-hander Johnny Cueto.
Offense was a bigger need after Miami ranked 14th in the National League last season with a .230 batting average and last with 586 runs.
Yankees pitcher Severino set to miss start of the season
New York Yankees pitcher Luis Severino is set to miss the start of the MLB season due to a low-grade right lat strain.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Saturday revealed Severino will not throw for at least five days.
The two-time All-Star was due to start Yankees' second game of the season against the San Francisco Giants next Saturday, but looks likely to instead be on the injured list.
Clarke Schmidt is expected to get a start in the absence of Severino, with Gerrit Cole the man to open up in the first game of the season versus the Giants on Thursday.
Severino missed over two months with the same injury last season.
The 29-year-old has an ERA of 9.00 this spring, having allowed 15 runs in as many innings.
The Yankees are also without Carlos Rodon (forearm strain) and Frankie Montas (shoulder surgery) heading into the new season.
Astros second baseman Altuve to miss at least two months following thumb surgery
The Houston Astros' eight-time All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve will be out of action for at least two months following surgery on his fractured right thumb.
Altuve sustained the injury playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic last Saturday after being struck on the thumb from a pitch by the United States' Daniel Bard.
The Astros confirmed in a statement that the second baseman had undergone surgery and subsequently will not resume baseball activities at least two months.
"Altuve will remain in Houston since Spring Training is in its final week," the Astros statement said. "The Astros ballclub is set to fly to Houston following their Florida Spring Training game on Sunday in West Palm Beach."
The 2023 MLB season commences next Thursday, with the Astros opening their campaign against the Chicago White Sox.
Altuve was a key part of Houston's 2022 World Series-winning team, hitting .300 with 28 home runs, 39 doubles, 18 steals and 103 runs while earning his sixth Silver Slugger Award and finishing fifth in AL MVP voting.
The 32-year-old won the 2017 AL MVP – the same year he helped the Astros win the franchise’s first World Series championship.
Among active players, Altuve ranks seventh in hits (1,935), eighth in doubles (379) and 12th in runs (986).
He was the second MLB All-Star to suffer a serious injury at the World Baseball Classic after New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz tore his patellar tendon, ruling him out for the entire season.
'Unicorn' MVP Ohtani emulates Babe Ruth in World Baseball Classic final
Shohei Ohtani was described as a "unicorn to the sport" by United States manager Mark DeRosa after he led Japan to victory in the World Baseball Classic final.
Ohtani struck out Los Angeles Angels team-mate Mike Trout to seal a 3-2 victory in a thrilling conclusion in Miami on Tuesday.
Named the tournament's MVP, Ohtani ticked off a list of achievements during the game that had only ever previously been matched in an MLB or WBC game by the legendary Babe Ruth in October 1921.
The 28-year-old started in the batting lineup, drew a walk, got a hit, came on to pitch in relief, struck out a batter and was the finishing pitcher.
"What he's doing in the game is what probably 90 per cent of the guys in that clubhouse did in Little League or in youth tournaments, and he's able to pull it off on the biggest stages," DeRosa said.
"He is a unicorn to the sport. I think other guys will try it, but I don't think they're going to do it to his level.
"What blows me away on this stage is the fact that no moment is too big for him. He did not seem rattled by walking Jeff McNeil on a close pitch, not rattled that three MVPs were coming up to bat."
Ohtani himself was happy to accomplish one of his career goals by winning the tournament, and believed the victory over the USA was also proof that Japan can get the better of anyone.
"In my baseball life, [winning the World Baseball Classic was] one of the things that I wanted to achieve," Ohtani said. "Today I was able to achieve one of the goals.
"Of course, I happened to get the MVP, but this really proves that Japanese baseball can beat any team in the world."
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