The Minnesota Twins had to make a tough call this offseason, ultimately trading away the reigning American League batting champion in Luis Arraez.
However, the Twins landed young right-hander Pablo Lopez from the Miami Marlins in that deal, adding the extra starting pitching depth that they so desperately needed.
And so, the starting rotation now appears to be a strength for the team heading into 2023.
Lopez joins a group of starters that already consists of Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda, and Bailey Ober.
On Twitter, MLB Network posted a graphic featuring the names of all the Twins’ starting pitching options.
The new-look crop of starting options for the @Twins 👀 pic.twitter.com/PZX9FfcCbH
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 5, 2023
After a disappointing finish to the 2022 season, the Twins were busy this winter.
They brought in Joey Gallo and Christian Vazquez and also managed to keep Carlos Correa after his deals with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets fell through.
The icing on the cake was the addition of Lopez.
The team now has a proven right-hander in their rotation to go alongside stars such as Mahle, Gray, and Ryan.
Minnesota won just 78 games during the 2022 regular season, with a late-season collapse derailing them after they had led the AL Central for much of the season.
But with the addition of Lopez, they look prepared to put their late-season swoon behind them and compete with both the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox for an American League Central title.
The Twins last reached the postseason in 2020, having won the AL Central in the pandemic-shortened season.
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