Minnesota Twins Have Reportedly Listened to Trade Offers For All-Star Pablo Lopez

Lopez is under contract for the next three years at a very affordable rate.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (49) tips his cap as he leaves the game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at Target Field on Aug 30. / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

According to noted MLB Insider Jeff Passan, the Minnesota Twins have listened to trade offers this offseason for All-Star Pablo Lopez.

The Twins have listened on right-hander Pablo Lopez, and if free agent pitching prices remain stratospheric, perhaps they'll go beyond the listening stage.

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— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 19, 2024

On the surface, that's very surprising considering that Lopez is the ace of the staff. Why would the Twins, a team that narrowly missed the playoffs and has aspirations of competing, do that? Well, when you look under the hood, it's easy to see why. Lopez is owed a very modest $63-ish million over the next three years, making him imminently more affordable that someone like Blake Snell (5/$182) or Max Fried ($218 million). Corbin Burnes could sign a deal worth $240 million or more, which makes Lopez's deal seem like a steal. That could turn several teams to the trade market and raise the price of a return for Lopez.

It's the same reason why the Seattle Mariners are known to be listening to offers for All-Star pitcher Luis Castillo.

The 28-year-old Lopez is a seven-year veteran of the Miami Marlins and Twins, going 54-49 lifetime with a 3.91 ERA. He's coming off a year in which he went 15-10 with a 4.08. Lopez made the All-Star Game with Minnesota in 2023 and started Game 1 of the American League playoffs that year also.

The Twins currently have Lopez, Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods-Richardson, Chris Paddack, Bailey Ober and Zebby Mattews as rotation options heading into spring training.

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