The Marlins made a big move on Friday sending Pablo Lopez and two prospects to Minnesota for Luis Arraez.
One of the prospects going to the Twins is highly regarded and goes by the name of Jose Salas. More on him in a little bit, but first let’s cover the full transaction. Also going to the Twins is Byron Chourio from the DSL Marlins, a 17 year old outfielder with some promising numbers. Miami paid a hefty price in this trade, but it is one they needed to make.
Lopez is a fan favorite and a solid dependable arm, but he also is likely at the highest value he will have going forward. With two years of control left and an iffy second half in 2022, Lopez was unlikely to see his value rise. In the first half of 2022, Lopez looked like Cy Young, but that ended up being rather short-lived and he settled into being more of a #3 type pitcher.
Salas was ranked as the 5th best prospect in Miami’s system by MLB.com, but he is a few years away from the big leagues. Salas is only 19 and spent time in two A-ball levels for the Marlins in 2022. The shortstop stole 33 bases in 2022 and flashed some power as well. Salas is the kind of guy who could certainly come back to haunt the Marlins, but they needed an impact bat now, and they needed it more than the potential for one in a few years.
Arraez is coming off a batting title and is an exciting versatile player. Ask any fan in the AL Central what they think of Arraez and they will likely tell you they are glad to see him leave the division. The 25-year gets on base consistently and doesn’t strike out much at all. Arraez makes contact and frustrates pitchers with long at-bats, where he continuously refuses to give in. Arraez can also play multiple positions including 2B and 1B, which will give manager Skip Schumaker more options to play with daily.
Miami could still be in the market for more offense, as it looks to potentially add a center fielder and/or a slugger to the lineup.