Did the Twins Flip Golden Tickets in Lopez and Cano?

When the Twins and Orioles got together last year for their deal, it took some time for the pieces to settle in, but things are looking good for all involved at this point.

Derek Falvey thought Rocco Baldelli needed high-leverage bullpen help alongside Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. Emilio Pagan wasn’t cutting it, and Taylor Rogers was long gone. Jorge Lopez was brought in having made his first All-Star game, and he looked like one of the best closers in baseball through the first half.

Needing to part with talent to acquire him (and the 2+ seasons remaining of team control), the Twins opted to send third-round draft pick Cade Povich along with interesting relief prospect, 28-year-old Yennier Cano. Povich was certainly seen as a prized arm in the Minnesota system, and he has fared well at Double-A for Baltimore thus far. Cano dominated in Double-A and Triple-A but struggled in his very brief big-league debut. He was seen, by some fans, as something of a throw-in.

Fast-forward to 2023, and it’s Cano that is immediately paying dividends for a good Orioles team. Through his first 17 games, Cano has yet to allow a single run or walk while striking out 25 batters and giving up just four hits. The early-season run has been nothing short of exceptional, and his dominance is a large part of why the Orioles have been able to hang onto games late.

For the Twins, the re-emergence of Lopez has helped to substantiate their position on the deal as well.

After joining Minnesota last year, things fell off for Lopez. He lost his opportunity to work in the closer role after generating just four saves, and he posted a 4.37 ERA across 22 2/3 innings. The walks were up and the strikeouts were down. As a whole, it was a perfect storm of imperfect results.

Coming into 2023 as a late-inning reliever that would see his teammate Duran get most of the 9th inning work, Lopez has settled in. Through 20 games and 19 2/3 innings this year, Lopez owns a 1.37 ERA and has a 17/7 K/BB. It isn’t ideal that the strikeouts aren’t where they were last year with the Orioles, but he has allowed only 11 hits during his work thus far, and keeping traffic off the base paths has allowed a much more straightforward path to success.

Because Lopez toiled as a starter for so long, the Twins acquired him knowing they could use him for a good amount of time. Wanting to overhaul both the rotation and the bullpen, creating a stable of solid and competitive arms was a must. Making just over $3.5 million this season, Lopez shouldn’t get expensive in 2024 either, and he’ll remain under team control up until he’s a free agent after the 2024 season.

The Twins gave away a significant amount of future value in the form of Cano and Povich. That could have been disastrous should Lopez’s brief amount of work last season been reflective of his future. Instead, the Orioles have made it work with a guy on his way out of Minnesota, and Lopez helping the team win now is something they needed more than future potential contributions from a prospect.

Minnesota has built the start of their 2023 success on the back of their pitching staff, and the hope is that it would continue due to the front office building in high-quality depth in both the rotation and bullpen. Lopez has been a key part of the equation, and seeing him contribute in more than just the months immediately following his acquisition is something everyone can get behind.