adminA trade that gave away 1 player and received 4 players became a trade in which only 4 players were received for free within a year? This is what is happening in real time in the American Major League Baseball (MLB). This is the story of the trade that the Baltimore Orioles conducted with the Minnesota Twins about a year ago.
Baltimore traded closer during fall baseball competition… The price is 4 pitchers
On August 2 last year, Baltimore traded closer Jorge Lopez (30) to Minnesota. At the time of the trade, Baltimore was in the lead for fall baseball, with 53 wins and 51 losses, trailing the American League (AL) wild card third place team by 1.5 games, but they boldly sent away the team’s closing pitcher. Although it was because there was Felix Bautista (28), the best setup man at the time and a strong closer candidate, it was clear that it was a bold decision.
Lopez was a top closer in the league who was selected as an All-Star last year with 44 games, 48.1 innings, an earned run average (ERA) of 1.68, and 19 saves. Thanks to this, Baltimore was able to acquire four young pitchers in exchange for a trade. They were left-hander Cade Povich (23), left-hander Juan Rojas (19), right-hander Juan Nunez (22), and right-hander Yenier Cano (29).
Now, a year later, this trade has turned out to be a complete win for Baltimore. Povich has risen to Baltimore’s 12th prospect, while Nunez has also risen to the team’s 29th prospect.
And Cano has become the best bullpen in the league this season. So far, he has appeared in 61 games and played 64.1 innings, recording an ERA of 1.68, 29 holds, and 5 saves. This year’s All-Star selection was a given.
So, from Baltimore’s perspective, they traded ‘last year’s All-Star bullpen’ to produce ‘this year’s All-Star bullpen’ and acquired three additional pitching prospects.
Lopez lost strength after changing team… Minnesota, retrade after one year
But Lopez had a lot of ups and downs. In the second half of last year, when he moved to Minnesota, he fell short of expectations with an ERA of 4.37, 1 hold, and 4 saves in 22.2 innings. In the end, Minnesota, which was leading the AL Central Division with 54 wins and 49 losses before Lopez joined, failed to advance to the postseason as its winning percentage collapsed with 78 wins and 84 losses. In fact, Baltimore’s record (83 wins and 79 losses) was better after trading Lopez.
Lopez failed to make a comeback this season. He showed powerful pitching for a while at the beginning of the season, but fell into a slump again, showing ERA of 5.09, 6 holds, and 3 saves in 35.1 innings, making it difficult to use as a bullpen in a sure-to-win team.스포츠토토
In the end, Minnesota traded Lopez again on July 26th for My Mammy Marlins’ bullpen Dylan Floro (32). The deal was intended to change the atmosphere by swapping two pitchers who were showing ambiguous results, but this deal ended up producing even worse results.
Lopez pitched 11.2 innings in Miami, posting the worst performance of his career with an ERA of 9.26, and Floro is also showing extreme sluggishness with an ERA of 5.91 in 10.2 innings in Minnesota.
Miami’s patience reached its limit and they placed Lopez on waivers. Baltimore claimed (intended to recruit) Lopez and brought him back. A 1-4 trade a year ago has turned into a trade in which 4 players were received ‘for free’ within a year.
Lopez seemed happy to be back with a team with so many good memories, saying, “I’m really excited and grateful to be back with this team.”
Baltimore signed Jorge Lopez. Photo = Baltimore SNS
Trade partners I played with… Will two All-Star bullpens help us win the championship?
Baltimore put Lopez in the game right away after signing him. Lopez stood on the mound in the top of the 8th inning of an 8-4 away game against the Arizona Diamondbacks today (4th) our time. This was his first appearance in a Baltimore uniform since July 29 of last year.
Lopez hit a double to the first batter, but then struck out all three batters and pitched one inning without allowing a run.
The 9th episode belonged to Cano, who was Lopez’s legacy. Kano finished the first inning with 1 run and led the game to victory. The trade parties appeared in one game for the first time in a year and contributed to the team’s victory.
Currently, Baltimore is in first place not only in the AL East division but also in the entire AL with 85 wins and 51 losses (0.625 winning percentage). However, they are trailed by 2.5 games by the Tampa Bay Rays (83 wins, 54 losses, 0.606 winning percentage), the second place team in the Eastern Division.
Advancement to the postseason as a wild card is virtually guaranteed, but being number one in the district, which can advance directly to the division series, cannot be assured. This is why attention is being paid to whether Lopez, who returned after a year, will form an impeccable bullpen with Cano and help Baltimore ‘maintain the lead’.
It would be possible if Lopez and Cano played together more often than they did today. And if it actually goes that way, the Lopez trade made last year may become one of the greatest trades in Baltimore history.