As a clear contender, the Minnesota Twins made sure to bring in some reinforcements before the trade deadline.
One of those additions was All-Star closer Jorge Lopez.
The Twins sent right-handers Yennier Canó and Juan Nuñez and left-handers Cade Povich and Juan Rojas to the Baltimore Orioles to get their man.
Twins star Byron Buxton told a story about something that happened in the All-Star Game in Los Angeles last month.
“Byron Buxton was locker-mates with Jorge López at the All-Star Game and joked with him (but kind of seriously), ‘We’re coming to get you!’ Said they can laugh about it now that they have lockers on the same side of the #MNTwins clubhouse,” MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park tweeted after talking to Buxton.
Byron Buxton was locker-mates with Jorge López at the All-Star Game and joked with him (but kind of seriously), “We’re coming to get you!”
Said they can laugh about it now that they have lockers on the same side of the #MNTwins clubhouse.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) August 3, 2022
We will never know if Buxton was joking, or if he had some insight from conversations with the Twins’ front office, but the first option looks like the most likely.
A Nice Late-Inning Addition
In any case, the Twins got a pretty good reliever to bolster their bullpen and their playoff chances.
Before Thursday’s games, Lopez is boasting a 1.64 ERA and has 20 saves.
After years of failing as a starting pitcher with the Orioles, he was moved to the bullpen.
He simplified things and is now thriving.
The Twins have a 55-49 record, and are just one game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central.
The addition of Lopez will help them find some stability in the late innings.
The O’s had a good package of prospects for just one arm, and their rebuild appears to be in the final stages given their solid 54-51 record.
It’s a win-win move.
Buxton and the Twins should be happy about their new reliever.
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