{"id":105580,"date":"2025-10-10T08:56:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T08:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=105580"},"modified":"2025-10-10T08:56:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T08:56:15","slug":"twins-discuss-pablo-lopezs-future-is-suddenly-up-for-debate-would-trading-him-now-help-the-twins-take-the-next-step-or-set-them-back-even-further","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=105580","title":{"rendered":"TWINS DISCUSS: Pablo Lopez\u2019s future is suddenly up for debate. Would trading him now help the Twins take the next step or set them back even further?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Should The Twins Trade Pablo Lopez This Offseason?<\/h3>\n<\/header>\n
\n

The Twins conducted a complete fire sale at the trade deadline this year as they shipped 11 players off their big league roster, but one significant player who stayed in place was ace right-hander\u00a0Pablo Lopez.<\/p>\n

The talented righty was limited to just 14 starts this season by a hamstring strain and a shoulder strain before his season came to an end in September due to a forearm strain.<\/p>\n

The fact of Lopez\u2019s injury-marred season left the Twins unable to move him at the deadline this year when they purged the majority of their veteran players, but that doesn\u2019t mean a deal can\u2019t be made this offseason.<\/p>\n

After all, the aforementioned forearm strain that ended his season came with\u00a0\u201cno concern\u201d\u00a0regarding Lopez\u2019s UCL or elbow, and all indications point to him being expected to have a normal offseason and be ready for the 2026 campaign. What\u2019s more, Lopez was nothing short of excellent when healthy this year as he pitched to a 2.79 ERA with a 3.19 FIP in 75 2\/3 innings of work.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the sort of top-of-the-rotation potential that contending teams will want to bring in desperately this winter, and the Twins could stand to benefit from trading Lopez during an offseason where there are few free agents who offer much certainty.<\/p>\n

Dylan Cease,\u00a0Zac Gallen, and\u00a0Framber Valdez\u00a0all had tough years that didn\u2019t quite reach their typical standards, while\u00a0Brandon Woodruff\u00a0and\u00a0Shane Bieber\u00a0face health-related questions after seasons coming off major surgery. Lopez has his own flaws, of course, including his array of recent injuries and a pedestrian 4.08 ERA as recently as last year. Even so, the uncertainty surrounding this crop of free agent starters can only serve to make Lopez more attractive by comparison.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear what the Twins\u2019 payroll capacity or competitive expectations for 2025 are, but if the team embarks on a lengthy rebuild it would make little sense to hold onto the final two years and $43.5MM left on the Lopez\u2019s contract. Young arms like\u00a0Mick Abel,\u00a0Simeon Woods Richardson,\u00a0Taj Bradley,\u00a0Zebby Matthews, and\u00a0David Festa\u00a0are all likely to compete for a spot in the rotation.<\/p>\n

Holdovers\u00a0Joe Ryan\u00a0and\u00a0Bailey Ober\u00a0will surely be in the rotation (unless they\u2019re traded themselves), and\u00a0Kendry Rojas\u00a0could be ready for the majors at some point next year as well. That deep group of young rotation pieces makes Lopez a bit more expendable to the Twins than he would be for most teams, at least if they aren\u2019t expecting to compete next year.<\/p>\n

Given the fact that Lopez would surely bring back a hefty return on the trade market and the depth the Twins currently enjoy in their rotation, using the right-hander to infuse more offensive talent into the club\u2019s roster would make a lot of sense.<\/p>\n

With that being said, it\u2019s worth noting that the Twins actually still have some notable talent on paper. Lopez, Ryan, and Ober could form a front three in the rotation that many contenders in the league would be jealous of.<\/p>\n

Star outfielder\u00a0Byron Buxton\u00a0has been healthier of late and has the offensive ability to be an anchor for a playoff lineup. Players like\u00a0Royce Lewis\u00a0and\u00a0Matt Wallner\u00a0have shown impressive ceilings despite their inconsistency, while young bats like\u00a0Brooks Lee\u00a0and\u00a0Luke Keaschall\u00a0could take a big step forward.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not impossible to imagine a viable offensive core coming together as soon as next year, especially if top prospects like\u00a0Emmanuel Rodriguez\u00a0and\u00a0Walker Jenkins\u00a0can contribute at some point.<\/p>\n

Of course, even with those positives the Twins would need to significantly invest in the team in order to build a real contender for 2026.<\/p>\n

RosterResource\u00a0estimates the club\u2019s current payroll for 2026 to fall into the range of $95MM, and while that leaves around $40MM in budget space relative to the 2025 club\u2019s payroll it\u2019s an open question how much of that (if any) will actually be reinvested into the major league club given the clear financial motivations behind this summer\u2019s Correa trade.<\/p>\n

The Twins would need serious help in the bullpen in order to compete after losing\u00a0Griffin Jax,\u00a0Louis Varland, and\u00a0Jhoan Duran\u00a0at the deadline, and players like\u00a0Kody Clemens\u00a0and\u00a0Austin Martin\u00a0starting regularly at first base and in left field wouldn\u2019t exactly inspire confidence either.<\/p>\n

If the front office is facing substantial financial constraints that weren\u2019t in place this time last year, there may be an argument for moving Lopez even if they do want to compete next year. After all, his $21.75MM salary could then be reinvested into the offense or bullpen, both of which have much less depth than the rotation does at present.<\/p>\n

How do MLBTR readers view the situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Should the Twins trade Lopez this offseason, either in hopes of reallocating his salary to other parts of the roster or as part of a full-scale rebuild? Or should they keep their ace in the fold to give themselves the best shot of winning next year? Have your say in the poll below:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Should The Twins Trade Pablo Lopez This Offseason? The Twins conducted a complete fire sale at the trade deadline this year as they shipped 11 players off… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":105586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\nTWINS DISCUSS: Pablo Lopez\u2019s future is suddenly up for debate. 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