The MLB offseason is upon us, and while the free agent market will command most of the attention on the hot stove, the trade market also figures to see a lot of action. We have already seen a couple of trades get made this offseason, and it looks like another big trade may get made soon, as the Miami Marlins are reportedly open to trading starting pitcher Pablo Lopez this offseason.
Sandy Alcantara got most of the attention with the Marlins this season, which typically happens when you emerge as a Cy Young contender, but Lopez has been just as solid during his time with Miami. Lopez is a top of the line starter who is going to be just 27 years old next season, meaning he will have a ton of value on the trade market.
You can never have too many quality starting pitchers, and there are certainly a few teams that will be looking to pursue Lopez if the Marlins do end up dealing him. Let's take a look at three teams that should seriously consider making a run for Lopez's services this offseason, and why he would be such a great addition for these teams.
3. St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals made some big moves at the trade deadline last season to shore up their starting rotation, as they added Jose Quintana and Jordan Montgomery to their squad for the second half of the season. Both guys were spectacular during their first action with St. Louis, and helped the Cardinals run away with the National League Central division title.
The problem is that the Cardinals fell apart in the Wild Card round against the Philadelphia Phillies, and they will be looking to make upgrades all over their roster this offseason. St. Louis doesn't have a true ace on their rotation, which is why making a trade for Lopez would be such a good idea for them.
Lopez put together his most complete season in 2022 with the Marlins (10-10, 3.75 ERA, 174 K, 1.17 WHIP) and while it would be nice to see ERA go down a bit, it was the first time Lopez had stayed healthy through a full season. Adding Lopez to headline their rotation alongside Miles Mikolas and Quintana if he is re-signed in free agency would be a fantastic move that would surely help the Cardinals stay on top of the NL Central for the foreseeable future.
2. Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins were hoping that their work last offseason would allow them to emerge as the top team in the American League Central. Instead, they finished with a sub .500 record and ended up missing the playoffs entirely. A big reason for that was because the Twins starting rotation was rather inconsistent throughout the season.
Similar to the Cardinals, the Twins don't have a true ace in their starting rotation. Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray were solid, but they struggled with injuries, and proved they weren't a duo that could lead Minnesota to the playoffs. Adding a top tier starter in Lopez would allow the Twins rotation to fill out much more organically with him leading the way.
The Twins have some bigger fish to fry this offseason, such as deciding whether or not to re-sign Carlos Correa, but it's clear their second order of business needs to be figuring out how to shore up their starting rotation. Swinging a trade for Lopez, who is still under team control for two more seasons, would allow Minnesota to save some money and add an ace to their rotation for the upcoming season.
1. New York Yankees
The New York Yankees primary goal this offseason is going to be figuring out how to re-sign Aaron Judge. But beyond that, their starting rotation needs help, especially after they foolishly decided to trade Montgomery to the Cardinals at the trade deadline. The Yankees were close to adding Lopez at the deadline, and they should pursue a deal for him once again this offseason.
Truthfully, Lopez profiles better as the second starter in a starting rotation, which is why the Yankees make so much sense as a suitor for him. New York has Gerrit Cole, but then not much after him. Nestor Cortes emerged as a solid second starter this season, but after him it was more inconsistencies and injuries this season.
Trading for Lopez would quickly solve that, and it could be the key in keeping Judge in town. Judge is going to want to win a title, which the Yankees haven't been able to do for quite some time now. Adding Lopez could show the Yankees they are serious in their desire to build a winner around Judge, while also beefing up their starting rotation in the process. That seems like a win-win deal for New York at this stage in the game, which is why they should seriously consider adding Lopez this offseason.
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