Kim Ng and the Miami Marlins made a major trade Friday, dealing starting pitcher Pablo Lopez and prospects to the Minnesota Twins for utility man Luis Arraez. Jack Vita writes how the Marlins just got ripped off.
The Miami Marlins made a major trade Friday, agreeing to send starting pitcher Pablo Lopez and prospects Jose Salas and Byron Chourioto the Minnesota Twins in exchange for 2022 American League batting champion Luis Arraez.
The Marlins have a surplus of young starting pitchers, which gave general manager Kim Ng the opportunity to trade at least one of them for much-needed offensive help.
Arraez, who led the AL in batting average a season ago and posted a .375 On Base Percentage, undoubtedly makes the Marlins' offense better, but make no mistake about it: Ng just got ripped off by the Minnesota Twins' front office.
Lopez made 32 starts in 2022. A starting pitcher that makes 32 starts in a season will have a greater impact on a team's performance than a utility man that played 144 games.
A position player gets just three to five at bats per game. A quality starting pitcher records 18 outs in a game.
The Marlins weren't wrong to trade Lopez. Lopez has two years of club control left. Arraez, who is younger than Lopez, is under club control for three more years.
Arraez is a great piece to acquire in a trade for Lopez, but he shouldn't have been the only piece the Marlins received.
Not only did the Marlins give up Lopez, but the Twins were able to get them to give up their fifth-best prospect according to MLB.com's top 100 prospect rankings, infielder Jose Salas, and outfield prospect Byron Chourio.
Chourio excelled in 51 games in the Dominican Summer League last season, slashing .344/.429/.838.
Not only did the Marlins fail to pick up a haul for Lopez, but they themselves gave up a prospect haul, in addition to their highly-desired trade chip.
The Twins just made a great trade, adding a potential top of the rotation starter, as well as two quality prospects. Meanwhile, they moved Arraez and opened up what could be an everyday role for top prospect Royce Lewis.
The Twins have had a rather strong offseason and could challenge the Cleveland Guardians for the American League Central division crown.
Check out the latest episode of the Jack Vita Show for more MLB offseason analysis!
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More MLB Offseason Coverage:
- Who Will Sign Trevor Bauer? 6 Potential Free Agent Landing Spots
- Minnesota Twins' 2023 Projected Pitching Rotation After Trading for Pablo Lopez
- Minnesota Twins' 2023 Projected Starting Lineup After Trading Luis Arraez
- OPINION: Chicago Cubs' Next Order of Business Should be Extending Nico Hoerner
- OPINION: Chaim Bloom Just Signed the Best Long-Term Contract of the Off-Season
- What Was the Chicago Cubs' Best Move of the Off-Season?
- OPINION: Texas Rangers May Have Made Off-Season's Best Free Agent Signing
- Ranking Correa, Turner, Bogaerts, Swanson Contracts from Best to Worst
- Interview with Former Oakland A's Pitcher, MLB Record-Holder Ryan Dull
- PODCAST: Exclusive Interview with a Toms River East Little League Star
For more from Jack Vita, follow him on Twitter @JackVitaShow, and subscribe to his podcast, the Jack Vita Show, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon, iHeartRadio, and wherever podcasts are found.
