Miami – The Marlins on Friday captured the American League champion and All-Star player Louis Araz Right-sided twins Pablo Lopez and two prospects, Jose Salas (no 5 in the Marlins system) and outfielder Byron Chorio.
The 25-year-old Aries, who is in charge of the team until 2025, has an average of 314 starts over 389 games played. At 22, he hit a career-high 50 walks to lead the Twins while striking out only 43, making him the only major league player to hit fewer than 50 runs in at least 500 games.
Trade details
Marlins receive: INF Luis Arraez
Twins receive: RHP Pablo López, INF José Salas (Marlins’ No. 5), OF Byron Chourio
“There are many young people like me,” said Araz. “I’ll be excited to play [around] Lots of people from Venezuela [the Dominican Republic]From Puerto Rico.
“I hope I give a lot of energy to the Marlins fans, a lot of energy to my teammates, to the coaching staff, to everyone out there. I just go out there to win a lot of games.”
Arraez became the first player since Rod Carew (1978-79) — also traded from the Twins (to the Angels) — to be dealt out of season after winning the batting title, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
With the addition of Arraez, Miami gains impressive offensive power and much-needed depth. Despite being listed as a second baseman, Aries played first base for more games (60) in 2022 than either second base (31) or designated hitter (34). But the Marlins want Aries back as a runner-up. To do that, they have a big move in the works: Jazz Chisholm Jr. Slide to the center of the field.
“Jazz is very open about it,” general manager Kim Ng told reporters via Zoom. “[He] He looked excited. … Jazz is a unique athlete. Very dynamic. He has great range and great speed. He’s got a lot of things that you look for when you think of a center field.”
The Marlins have had inquiries about Lopez since the middle of the season, and rightfully so. Lopez, who will turn 27 in March and he under the control of the team Through 2024, he has a 3.94 ERA across five seasons (94 starts) with the Marlins. Last year, Lopez teamed with ace Sandy Alcantara to deliver a solid punch on the Miami rotation, tallying 32 starts.
Interest from the twins has been mounting over the past two weeks, and that turned into serious conversations on Tuesday. It helped make the Marlins The signing of rookie veteran Johnny Cueto on Thursday. With Alcantara and Cueto at the helm of the rotation, plus Jesús Luzardo (100 1/3 innings in 2022), Trevor Rogers (133), Edward Cabrera (71 2/3) and Braxton Jarrett (88), Miami has an overabundance of starts. Not to mention the current and previous return approaches.
“Promotion is our strength, and this is our foundation,” said Ng. “I think this was a very good baseball business for both clubs. … This inconvenience definitely felt a bit like, you know, ‘little engine that can’. It was a slow build. But we finally got to a better place.”
Also included in the deal is Salas, who is expected to hit the Majors by 2024. He’s got extra speed, solid arm strength, and hits well from both sides of the plate. The 17-year-old Chorio, a Marlins international, signed in January 2022 and played in the Dominican Summer League last season.
Edwards, who is ranked in Miami No. 16 is a possibility Per MLB Pipeline, she is expected to hit the major leagues this season, while Amaya — a shortstop — is rated No. 12 And he will likely be in the Majors for the Marlins sometime this season after making his debut in 2022.
With Arraez in the fold, the Marlins are building a ballpark—and lineup—to match their starting depth. Did they finish making the moves?
“We are always looking to improve,” said Ng. “You always have to tune in. The offseason is off season — there are still several weeks left before we go into spring training. So I think we’ll always be looking for the next deal.”
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