One year after Jorge López was one of the Twins' major trade acquisitions, they dealt him for another reliever Wednesday.
Twins trade reliever Jorge López to Miami for reliever Dylan Floro
The two righthanders have struggled this season, and get a change of scenery for the stretch run of the MLB season.
July 26, 2023 at 10:39PM
The Twins traded López to the Marlins for righthanded reliever Dylan Floro, a straight swap between the two bullpens. The 32-year-old Floro owns a 4.54 ERA in 43 relief appearances this season with seven saves. He struck out 41 and walked 11 in 39⅔ innings.
Floro, a sinkerballer, gives the Twins another late-inning option in front of closer Jhoan Duran and setup man Griffin Jax. Floro is a free agent at the end of the season while López is under team control through the 2024 season.
López, a 2022 American League All-Star with the Orioles, never turned into the backend option the Twins envisioned when they traded four players for him at last year's trade deadline. He had a 5.09 ERA in 37 appearances with three saves. After beginning the season with 13 scoreless appearances, López fell out of a high-leverage role and spent time on the injured list to address his mental health.
In two seasons with the Twins, the 30-year-old López produced a 4.81 ERA with seven saves in 13 opportunities. Last year's trade already looks poor in hindsight. They traded reliever Yennier Cano, who transformed into an All-Star, along with two prospects (righthanders Cade Povich and Juan Nunez) who rank as top-30 prospects in a loaded Orioles farm system, according to Baseball America's rankings.
Floro, who will join his sixth team, has a career-high strikeout rate this season and was used as a setup man for the Marlins before recent struggles. He's permitted 17 hits and seven runs in his last 10 innings (6.30 ERA), but he continues to rate well in fielding independent pitching metrics.
The Twins, like all contenders, are seeking bullpen depth. They're hoping they'll receive a boost from some of their injured relievers, too. Lefty Caleb Thielbar could return as early as next week and righthander Brock Stewart has begun throwing after dealing with elbow soreness.
Only 34 years old, Jeremy Zoll has worked his way up the organizational ranks since coming to the Twins in 2018.
