Shortly after this morning's Spare Parts went live, I realized I forgot to add the video of Johnny Cueto's introduction to the Miami Marlins, which made me miss him even more.
However, we learned this afternoon why the Marlins signed Cueto to their stuffed rotation, so now we can roll that tape.
By signing Cueto for one year and $8 million, they were able to trade Pablo López to the Minnesota Twins (along with shortstop Jose Salas and outfield Byron Chourio) for Luis Arraez.
It's a fascinating trade from Minnesota's side, because it kinda addresses needs while kinda inviting risk.
The Twins finally acquired a pitcher capable of throwing 150 innings, as López threw 180 of them for the Marlins in 2022. He went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA, striking out 174 batters over 53 walks. It was his third year as a formidable pitcher, but his first truly full season. The pandemic season limited him to 11 starts and 57 innings, and then dealt with a rotator cuff strain in July of 2021, resulting in only 20 starts and 103 innings. He doesn't reach free agency until after the 2024 season.
Assuming López has regained his durability, he ascends to the top of the Twins rotation. The question is whether he's enough of a difference-maker, because you could argue the Twins tried something similar with Sonny Gray last year, and his brand of not-dominant pitching didn't really make a dent.
It cost them Arraez, who not only won the batting title for the Twins while hitting .316/.375/.420, but also led the team in plate appearances (603), with only Carlos Correa coming close (590). The Twins had durability on both sides of the ball, and it does stand a chance of weakening their first base/DH mix if Jose Miranda and Alex Kiriloff can't cut it. That said, he has a history of knee problems and struggles to keep his ISO above .100. The former makes it hard to know if he can hold down a middle-infield spot, and the latter makes it hurt if he can't.
(The Marlins intend to start Arraez at second, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving to center field.)
While the present value may wash out, the addition of Salas sweetens the deal for the Twins. He was fourth on Baseball America's Marlins Top 10, but he was 93rd on Baseball Prospectus' Top 101 Prospects list that came out today. He's enjoyed success being young for A-ball levels thus far. He doesn't turn 20 until April, and while there are some doubts about his switch-hitting and ability to stick at shortstop, the fact that he's starting with the high-degree-of-difficulty stuff gives him plenty of margin for error. Chourio hit .344/.429/.410 in the DSL as a 17-year-old in 2022.
The White Sox may or may not enjoy facing López, depending on whether they're able to make any strides against right-handed pitching, but they definitely won't miss dealing directly with Arraez. He hit .327/.366/.393 against them over 58 games, including a .373/.420/.480 line in 18 games and 81 plate appearances last year.
He was especially lethal in clutch situations. He hit 16-for-33 against the White Sox with runners in scoring position, and he also notched the single that ended Dylan Cease's no-hit bid with one out to go in September.
