Lopez will draw the start for the Twins on Opening Day versus the Royals.
Lopez will make his first career Opening Day start after getting traded to the Twins this past offseason. The right-hander has some of the best off-speed stuff in the league and posted a 3.75 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 174 punchouts over 180 innings in 32 starts for the Marlins in 2022.
Lopez allowed two hits with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings in his spring debut Monday. He'll make one more start for Minnesota before joining Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Lopez's fastball touched 95 mph, as he threw more in the offseason to be ready for the WBC. Lopez made 32 starts for the Marlins last season and had a 3.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 174:53 K:BB across 180 innings. He'll be a mainstay in the Minnesota rotation after he was traded for Luis Arraez.
Lopez was traded from the Marlins to the Twins on Friday in exchange for infielder Luis Arraez, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
In addition to Lopez, prospects Jose Salas and Byron Chourio are also heading to Minnesota in the deal, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Lopez made 32 starts for the Marlins last season and had a 3.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 174:53 K:BB across 180 innings. The right-hander is under team control through the 2024 campaign and should slot in near the top of the Twins' starting rotation.
Lopez agreed to a one-year, $5.45 million contract with the Marlins on Friday to avoid arbitration, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.
Lopez made $2.45 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility last season, and he'll more than double that salary in 2023. The 26-year-old had a 3.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 174:53 K:BB over 180 innings last year.
Lopez struck out seven in seven scoreless innings while allowing two hits and three walks in a 4-3 extra-innings win Sunday in Milwaukee. He did not factor into the decision.
After a leadoff walk to start the game, Lopez retired the next 12 batters he faced. Three of the five baserunners he allowed reached in the fifth inning, but Lopez got out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam with a strikeout. The 26-year-old ends the year with four consecutive quality starts, dropping his ERA from 4.04 to 3.75. He was rumored to be included in trade talks before the trade deadline, and it's possible that Sunday's outing was his last appearance in a game for the Marlins.
