The Mets dropped two of three to the Twins, only the second time this season that the team has lost a series. Furthermore, New York also lost back-to-back games for the first time in 2025.

What was the main culprit behind those woes? A lack of clutch hitting.

Granted, the Mets have struggled to come up with the big hit when it matters most all year. Those struggles were only accentuated in Minnesota, though, reaching a sobering crescendo in the final two games of the series.

To that end, let’s dive right into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

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3 UP

WELCOME TO THE SHOW

With Griffin Canning scratched due to illness, the Mets needed a Plan B for the series finale against the Twins. The backup plan proved to be Huascar Brazobán starting as the opener, with Justin Hagenman coming in after. After several seasons grinding it out in the minors, Hagenman was finally a big leaguer. And the righty impressed on the mound in his big league debut, allowing just one earned run on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts in 3.1 strong innings. He gave the Mets exactly what they needed in what was essentially a bullpen game. Granted, Hagenman’s stay in The Show will likely be a short one. But, with that said, watching a player achieve his dream after years of hard work and sacrifices is always a really cool story.

Plus, although there isn’t anything overly flashy about Hagenman’s game, he showed on Wednesday that he can deliver on the big stage. He did what was asked of him and then some on an overall tough day for the team. So maybe it won’t be that long before we see Hagenman back up with the Mets after all.

FAST STARTER

Clay Holmes has been handling his transition to a full-time starter like a pro so far. And he delivered his best outing of the year in the series opener on Monday. Holmes allowed just one run on two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts over five innings. It was both a standout and efficient start from the former closer, who is settling into his role nicely. Holmes now has 18 strikeouts over his last two starts. His command and stuff have both been really impressive. Granted, the righty only pitched five innings again on Monday. But, given that his workload is going to increase exponentially this year, building him up slowly is the only move. Lack of length aside, Holmes showed what he’s capable off as a starter with an outing to remember against the Twins.

STAYING HOT

I wanted to mention Juan Soto‘s two home runs but looking at the box scores, Pete Alonso didn’t have a bad game in this series. In fact, the slugger did all he could, again, to give the Mets every chance of winning the series. He went 2-for-2 with two walks, an RBI and a run scored in the opener on Monday. He followed that up with another two hits, including a double and a home run, in Tuesday’s game. Then, in the finale, Alonso went 2-for-4, including an RBI double that helped to spark a game-tying rally in the eighth. He also drew a walk in the 10th inning to put runners on first and second with no outs. All in all, Alonso remains the only clutch hitter in this lineup right now.

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3 DOWN

INJURY BLOW

The worst fears with Jose Siri were confirmed after an MRI exam and a CT scan revealed a fractured left tibia. As a result, the outfielder will now be on the shelf for a while and the Mets have lost depth in centerfield. They’ve also lost speed and Gold Glove caliber defense in the field. Now, granted, Siri wasn’t exactly off to a great start given that he was hitting just .050/.208/.100/.308 prior to getting hurt. However, he showed before fracturing his tibia that his speed can make a huge difference on the basepaths. And his absence means more pressure will be heaped on the already-struggling Tyrone Taylor to produce offense from centerfield.

ERROR-LADEN OUTING

Francisco Lindor is currently trying to battle his way out of another early-season slump. He’s had his moments, including a rally-starting single in the finale on Wednesday. However, it was a rough series overall for the shortstop in Minnesota. He went 1-for-5 with a strikeout on Monday, before going 1-for-5 again the next night with two strikeouts, including striking out in the ninth with a chance to tie the game. Furthermore, Lindor also committed an error in the third inning that led to two runs being scored, ultimately dooming the Mets to defeat. The two-time Gold Glover already has four errors this year, which isn’t like him at all. It goes without saying that the Mets need Lindor to become vintage Lindor, both offensively and defensively, and soon.

LACK OF CLUTCH

This offense is perplexing. The Mets put together an offense that was supposed to be explosive. However, through the first 18 games, it has been anything but that, especially in clutch situations. The Mets went a combined 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position across the two games they lost against the Twins. In all, they were just 5-for-28 with RISP in the series. They also went 12 consecutive innings without scoring before breaking through in the eighth inning on Wednesday.

There were too many golden opportunities wasted with runners on throughout this series, especially in the finale. Jesse Winker was thrown out at home when attempting to score from second base in the second inning. Juan Soto, who went 0-for-5 in the finale with three strikeouts, grounded out into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the fifth. Brandon Nimmo – who looks lost at the plate with runners on – popped out in the 10th. And Mark Vientos and Brett Baty have combined for 12 strikeouts and only two hits in 28 at-bats with RISP this year.

Overall, the Mets are now next to last in MLB with a .166 batting average with runners in scoring position. There is no doubt that this lineup has explosive potential, but it has to start cashing in with runners on soon.

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The conditions kept the score low before the Mets began to build on their lead later in the game. A 3-1 Mets lead in the seventh inning became a 5-1 Mets lead when Juan Soto launched his second home run of the year. The $765 million man hit it 405 feet to right-center field for his first homer since the second game of the year, and it gave the Mets some insurance as they looked to hold the Twins down.

Before Soto’s homer, though, there was very little offense from either side. Both starters, Clay Holmes and Joe Ryan, had elevated pitch counts but ultimately limited the opposition in their outings. The starters had nearly identical lines, with Holmes allowing a run in five innings, giving up two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. Ryan also allowed a run in five innings with the same number of walks and strikeouts, but he allowed three hits to Holmes’ two.

Joe Ryan was the first to surrender a run during the third inning in which Luisangel Acuña walked and stole second base. With two outs in the inning, Pete Alonso ripped a single into left field to put the Mets on the board. There were a couple of other instances early in the game where the Mets had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs, but they couldn’t tack on.

That allowed the Twins to stay in the game, and they capitalized in the fifth when Clay Holmes began the inning with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Holmes did a good job limiting the damage, though, allowing just a run on a sacrifice fly, which tied the game at one apiece.

The Mets struck right back in the top of the sixth, with Alonso again in the middle of the action. The first baseman led off the inning with a hard-hit single to center field before Mark Vientos ripped a double into the right-center field gap to give the Mets the lead. The lead was extended to 3-1 after Justin Topa, who was the first reliever in the game, threw away what would have been the inning-ending out on a routine toss to the first baseman, allowing Vientos to come around and score.

Soto Salute 🫡pic.twitter.com/yQEx4sxE8w

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) April 15, 2025

The sixth inning seemed to open the floodgates, as the Mets added on again in the seventh inning. Luisangel Acuña led off the inning with a bunt single, advancing to second base on another throwing error by the pitcher. Juan Soto then launched his second home run of the year to put the Mets up 5-1, giving the team some needed separation.

Huascar Brazobán had another excellent outing to keep the Twins at bay, needing just 20 pitches to get through two hitless innings in the sixth and seventh. The 35-year-old, who nearly didn’t make the Opening Day roster, now owns a 0.79 ERA with a 0.71 WHIP in 11 1/3 innings this year.

Reed Garrett followed Brazobán and unsurprisingly looked fantastic, pitching a 1-2-3 eighth inning with two strikeouts on 15 pitches. Garrett has yet to allow a run in 6 2/3 innings this season. For the ninth, the Mets called on Ryne Stanek, who allowed a hit but otherwise shut down the Twins to give the Mets the 5-1 win. The Mets are now 11-5 and two games up in the National League East.

Stat of the Game: First Hit with RISP

Surprisingly, Soto’s home was his first hit with runners in scoring position this year. The homer was also the Mets’ first one not off the bat of Alonso with runners in scoring position. The whole team has struggled to hit in scoring situations, and Soto has been part of that. He’ll have plenty more opportunities throughout the year, though, with Francisco Lindor batting in front of him.

Player of the Game: Juan Soto

Juan Soto hadn’t homered in 13 straight games before his two-run shot Monday night. Soto needed that bomb, which perhaps will get his bat hot in the coming days. Even despite his struggles, if you can even call them that, Soto owns a .250 average and an .829 OPS.

On Deck

The Mets’ series with the Twins continues Tuesday night, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET. Tylor Megill (2-1, 0.63 ERA) will look to continue his fast start to the season, while Bailey Ober (0-1, 7.11 ERA) will try to turn his around. The game will air on SNY.

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The Mets rode big fourth and sixth innings to victory. They were silenced over the first three innings, but the team scored four runs in the fourth before Woods Richardson even recorded his first out. Pete Alonso started the inning with a home run, his 22nd of the year, before a slew of walks and hits put three more runs on the board.

It wasn’t until Woods Richardson’s 36th pitch of the inning, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brandon Nimmo, that he recorded his first out, but he would be subsequently pulled from the game for Cole Sands. J.D. Martinez added another sacrifice fly to make it a 6-1 game.

In the sixth, the Mets got their first three batters to reach, with Nimmo driving in the seventh run of the game with a single. The Mets would score four more runs in the inning on a fielder’s choice groundout, a walk, a sacrifice fly, and a hit-by-pitch. That gave the Mets a monstrous 11-1 lead.

The Mets’ scoring didn’t stop after their two big innings. They added two more in the seventh on RBI doubles from Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil before the Rays waved the white flag, sending outfielder Matt Wallner to the mound. Luis Torrens recorded his third hit and his second and third RBIs of the night with a double down the left field line, adding two more runs to put the Mets up 15-1.

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Jose Quintana was fabulous, outside of the game’s first few minutes. The Twins went up 1-0 within the first five pitches on a Manuel Margot leadoff double on the game’s first pitch and a Byron Buxton RBI single. The Twins would not score again off of Quintana, who exited the game after six innings. He allowed five hits, one walk, and struck out five. He once again lowered his ERA below 4.00 from 4.02 to 3.89.

José Buttó relieved Quintana in the seventh and kept the Twins off the board with the help of Tyrone Taylor, who robbed a would-be Ryan Jeffers home run. Buttó remained on in the eighth and ninth innings for the three-inning save, pitching a clean eighth before allowing a Jeffers home run in the ninth.

Buttó got through the rest of the inning unscathed, securing his second career save. That gave the Mets a 15-2 victory and put them back at six games over .500. In all, the Mets scored 15 runs on 17 hits with all 11 Mets to make a plate appearance recording at least one hit.

Statistic of the Game: Batting Around

The Mets sent 10-plus batters to the plate in both the fourth and sixth innings. Per Sarah Langs of MLB, the last time the Mets batted around twice in an inning was last year in Oakland. However, the last time they did it at home was in 1976, 48 years ago.

Player of the Game

Pete Alonso had himself a game, going 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. He also scored two runs and drove in two more. Alonso has eight extra-base hits in 40 at-bats since the All-Star break, as he has finally gotten hot at the plate.

On Deck

The Mets’ series with the Twins continues Tuesday evening with Sean Manaea (6-4, 3.74 ERA) on the mound against David Festa (1-1, 8.16 ERA), a New Jersey native. Manaea has succeeded in his career against the Twins, owning a 5-1 record with a 2.48 ERA in six games. Festa is a 24-year-old rookie who has made just three major league appearances.

First pitch will take place at 7:10 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on SNY.

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On Friday, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the cap selections for the Hall of Fame class of 2024. Todd Helton and Joe Mauer are naturally going in with Rockies and Twins caps respectively, since those are the only teams they played for during their careers. Manager Jim Leyland, who managed four teams during his career, will go in with a blank cap while Adrián Beltré, who played for four teams during his career, will enter with a Rangers cap.

Latest Mets News

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Friday that the Mets and RHP Shintaro Fujinami were in agreement on a one-year deal worth $3.35 million. Between the A’s and Orioles in 2023, Fujinami posted a 7.18 ERA. Fujinami, though, recovered after a dreadful start to the season so his ERA doesn’t demonstrate the strides he made during the season. Fujinami averaged a 99 mph fastball in 2023, so he will be bringing some much-needed heat to the Mets bullpen.

The Mets agreed to terms with another reliever on Friday, inking lefty Jake Diekman to a one-year deal worth $4 million, per SNY‘s Andy Martino. Mike Puma of the New York Post reported that Diekman has a vesting option for another $4 million in 2025 if he appears in at least 58 games for the Mets. Diekman spent 2023 between the White Sox and Rays and, like Fujinami, found more success with his second team. Diekman finished the year with a 3.34 ERA, but had a 2.18 ERA in 50 appearances with the Rays. While Diekman excels at limiting hard contact, he struggles with walking batters. He joins Brooks Raley as another lefty out of the Mets bullpen.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, former Met Daniel Murphy will join the booth for at least two games during spring training, replacing Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez.

The Mets announced that they traded catcher Tyler Heineman to the Red Sox for cash considerations. Heineman had recently been designated for assignment after the Mets added Adam Ottavino to the 40-man roster.

Latest MLB News

Former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein is re-joining the Red Sox as a part owner and senior advisor. Epstein’s return is the best news of what has been an inauspicious offseason for Boston, after Red Sox chairman Tom Werner vowed the Red Sox would go “full throttle” in their efforts to improve the team.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post announced that the Braves are signing Ken Giles to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Giles has the opportunity to make $1.75 million if he reaches the majors in 2024. Giles was once one of the best closers in the game, but he has not pitched regularly in the major leagues since 2019.

Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic announced that the Giants traded starting pitcher Ross Stripling to the A’s. The Giants announced that they would be sending cash along with Stripling, and their return would be outfielder Jonah Cox, a 22-year-old who was a sixth-round pick of the A’s in the 2023 draft. In 2023, Stripling alternated between starting and long relief, recording a 5.36 ERA across 89 innings.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported that there are five teams showing interest in former Met Dominic Smith. Smith hit 12 home runs and recorded a .692 OPS in 2023 with the Nationals, but hit six home runs and had an .846 OPS over the final month of the season.

Per Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors, the White Sox are signing former Met Kevin Pillar to a minor league deal. He can make $3 million if he reaches the big league roster.

Darren Wolfson of Skor North reports that the Twins signed Carlos Santana to a one-year deal.

The Yankees announced on Friday that they have scheduled a two-game exhibition series with the Diablos Rojos del México for March 24 and 25. The games will be played at Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City.

Latest on MMO

Michael Mayer analyzes the latest ESPN and Baseball America farm system rankings, with the Mets coming in at no. 11 and no. 8 respectively.

On This Date in Mets History

1983: The Mets signed Ed Hearn to a minor league deal on this day 41 years ago. Hearn worked his way up the minor leagues for a few years before becoming Gary Carter‘s backup in early 1986. Hearn had a very brief career, but he will always be a member of the 1986 World Series champion Mets.

Birthdays: Lucas Duda (38)

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Luis Guillorme completed his first rehab assignment on Friday night with High-A Brooklyn. He struck out three times at the plate but his defense was on display when he made a great stop at third base before turning a double play. Guillorme has been sidelined since late July with an injured calf, and this is the first step in his return. Whether his return is with the big league club remains to be seen, as he had a measly .650 OPS before his injury and there may not be room with Ronny Mauricio now in the picture. Nevertheless, it’s good to see Luis back in action and coming back from a tough injury.

Latest Mets News

The Mets dropped the first game of the series against the Twins on Friday night, 5-2. Kodai Senga gave up just two runs in six innings despite not having his best stuff, and Francisco Lindor provided the only offense of the night with a two-run double.

Lindor was announced as the Mets’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for the 2023 season. The full list of nominees from each team can be found here.

Pitching prospect Calvin Ziegler has been activated off the 60-day injured list and is set to make his season debut this weekend with Low-A St. Lucie.

Latest MLB News

Mike Petriello of MLB.com wrote about how the most productive spot in the batting order by OPS is the no. 2 spot, which has never happened in the live-ball era.

Per Jeff Passan and Paula Lavigne of ESPN, the felony domestic violence incident involving Julio Urías was captured on video, which is now in the possession of law enforcement.

Passan also reported that the Rockies and pitcher Germán Márquez agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract extension. Márquez is set to miss most of the 2024 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

The Dodgers announced that Walker Buehler, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, will not return for the 2023 season and will instead focus on being ready for the start of 2024.

Nationals owner Mark Lehner released a statement on Stephen Strasburg‘s canceled retirement ceremony, expressing disappointment that private discussions were made public. He ended his statement by saying he looks forward to seeing Strasburg during spring training in 2024.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post broke down much of the recent dysfunction surrounding the Nationals and the higher-ups in the organization, including the Strasburg retirement fiasco, the inability to sign GM Mike Rizzo to an extension, the letting go of multiple respected scouts, and the resignation of a top executive in Johnny DiPuglia.

The Staten Island FerryHawks announced that they will be holding “Shaolin Hawks night” on September 13. The game night will be in collaboration with the Wu-Tang Clan and will benefit the Children’s Literacy Society.

With his home run on Friday night, Jasson Dominguez at 20-years-old became the youngest player since at least 1901 to hit a home run in four of his first seven career games.

Latest on MMO

In the latest Mets Minors Recap, Sean Kenny highlights brilliant performances by Joander Suarez and Drew Gilbert.

Allison Waxman writes about the Baby Mets and why they are the key to sustained success.

Jack Markowski breaks down the state of the Mets and Twins following this previous offseason’s Carlos Correa saga, with the Mets and Twins playing against each other.

Jack Sargente analyzes an article from The Athletic that suggests that staying on the West Coast will not mean more to Shohei Ohtani in free agency than the possibility of winning championships.

On This Date in Mets History

1969: The Mets recorded their 82nd win of the season on this date in 1969, clinching the team’s first winning record in franchise history. Tom Seaver threw a complete game and recorded his 21st win of the season in the victory.

Birthdays: Billy Hamilton (33), Kazuhisa Ishii (50), Mike Hampton (51), Todd Zeile (58)

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A solid outing from Senga was spoiled by the bullpen in a bizarre seventh inning, and it was the second straight game in which the bullpen blew a late lead following a productive outing from the starter. The inning began in a 2-2 tie, but that of course quickly got away from the Mets.

Sean Reid-Foley was the first man out of the Mets’ bullpen and he immediately found himself in trouble with two runners on and nobody out. The Twins then called a double steal on a pitch that got away from Francisco Álvarez, setting in motion a very peculiar sequence.

Álvarez gathered the ball and attempted to back-pick the runner at third base but he threw it into left field, prompting the runner to take off for home again. This time, he made it safely to give the Twins the lead. Back-to-back hits with two outs in the inning extended the Twins’ lead to 5-2 before the inning could finally be put to rest.

Although Senga left the game with only two runs allowed, it was clear from the beginning of the game that he wasn’t as sharp as he has been recently. He threw 27 pitches in the first inning alone in addition to allowing two walks. Royce Lewis took advantage of Senga’s shakiness by hitting an RBI double that scored Jorge Polanco, who reached via a walk, from first base to put the Twins ahead 1-0 early.

Senga settled down to pitch less eventful innings in the second and third, but he found himself in trouble again in the fourth inning. Carlos Correa, in his first game against the team that almost signed him this past offseason, led off the inning by hitting a rocket into left field that sailed into the seats for a home run.

Further damage in the inning was thwarted by Tim Locastro, who, with a runner on first and nobody out, made a fantastic diving catch in left field to rob Christian Vázquez of extra bases and potentially an RBI. Senga again worked in and out of trouble in the fifth inning, ending a two-on, nobody out threat by getting a double play and another ground ball out to escape the inning.

Senga stayed on for one more solid inning, finishing his outing with just the two earned runs given up over six innings, a really impressive outcome considering he wasn’t at the top of his game. He allowed four hits and four walks while striking out five as he lowered his already third-best National League ERA to 3.07 on the year.

Offensively, the Mets struggled early on, with Keuchel easing his way through the lineup. It wasn’t until two outs in the third inning that the Mets recorded their first baserunner, and the offense finally made some noise the following inning. After a leadoff walk and a double put runners at second and third with nobody out, Francisco Lindor went the other way for a two-run double.

That was all the Mets could muster for the rest of the game, though, as Keuchel threw one more scoreless inning before giving way to the bullpen which threw four scoreless innings. The Mets drop what was a lackluster game all around, falling to 64-76 on the year with just 32 games left to play on the season.

Senga’s Streak Continues

There aren’t many positives that can be taken away from this game, but one of them is that Kodai Senga’s streak of starts allowing three or fewer runs was extended to 13. Even on a day where he clearly wasn’t at his best, he held the Twins to two runs over six innings. His stellar pitching down the stretch has put him firmly in the National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award conversations.

On Deck

The series between the Mets and Twins will continue Saturday afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET. David Peterson (3-7, 5.40 ERA) will take the mound for the Mets coming off a short outing against the Mariners, while Kenta Maeda, who has also been unable to go deep into games lately, (3-7, 4.73 ERA) will be the starter for Minnesota. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

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Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, Mets fans!

In the aftermath of a Friday afternoon trade that sent Luis Arraez to the Marlins, general manager Kim Ng said that Jazz Chisholm will move to center field. This move is interesting in that Chisholm has only ever played in the middle infield in his career, but with Arraez set to take over second base and Jean Segura and Jon Berti also entrenched in the infield, Chisholm will be tasked with playing center field. Chisholm boasts impressive sprint speed and defensive metrics at second base and shortstop in his career, so the Marlins are hopeful that he can handle this transition with ease.

According to Craig Mish of the Miami Herald, Chisholm told the team regarding this switch that he would “go out, play the position and win a Gold Glove.”

Latest MLB News

The Twins traded reigning American League batting champion Luis Arraez to the Marlins in exchange for pitcher Pablo Lopez and prospects Jose Salas and Byron Chourio.

Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reported that the Dodgers are hiring Chris Woodward to be a special assistant in the front office. Woodward spent time as the Dodgers’ third-base coach from 2016-2018 but was most recently manager of the Rangers before getting fired this past season.

The Diamondbacks announced that Ronnie Gajownik will manage their High-A affiliate, the Hillsboro Hops. Gajownik makes history as the first female manager at the High-A level.

The Pirates designated Miguel Andujar for assignment to make room on the roster for Andrew McCutchen.

Former Met Kevin Pillar announced on Twitter that he is joining the Braves. He spent most of last year with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate.

The Cardinals signed catcher Tres Barrera to a minor league contract.

Latest on MMO

Brian Wright continued MMO’s list of the worst free-agent signings in Mets history, ranking Jed Lowrie number five all-time.

Rivkaa Boord opined that the Mets are making a mistake with their bullpen approach this offseason.

On This Date in Mets History

2002: The Mets completed two big trades with the Rockies and Brewers that saw the Mets trade Benny Agbayani and Todd Zeile to Colorado and Lenny Harris, Glendon Rusch, and Alex Ochoa to Milwaulkee. In all, the Mets received Ross Gload, Craig House, Jeromy Burnitz, Lou Collier, Jeff D’Amico, and Mark Sweeney.

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Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The trigger has been pulled on a significant trade in MLB today with the Minnesota Twins acquiring starting pitcher Pablo López from the Miami Marlins. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Later confirmed by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Marlins received All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez as the cornerstone (and only) piece of the return package. Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported that infielder Jose Salas, the No. 4 overall prospect in the Miami farm system, according to Baseball America, would go back to the Twins.

The final piece of the puzzle in terms of the completed package was outfielder Byron Chourio, who also went to Minnesota along with López and Salas.

It was a major deal and it also looks like an immediate win-win for both franchises. The Marlins acquire a legit offensive weapon in Arraez, who is the reigning American League batting champion. He is also under club control for the next three years, which is another important piece of this deal.

Arraez hit .316/.375/.420/.795 with 49 RBI in 2022. He also finished with a 4.4 WAR and can put the ball in play at a very high rate. The 25-year-old becomes the first player to win a batting title and be traded the following offseason since Hall of Famer Rod Carew was dealt to the Angels after the 1978 season.

Interestingly, in the wake of Friday’s trade, Marlins general manager Kim Ng revealed that Jazz Chisholm Jr. will now play center field. Arraez will take over at second base from Chisholm Jr., with Jean Segura manning third in 2023. Chisholm Jr. has exclusively played at second and at shortstop during his big league career. Miami have now revamped its infield and added a different dynamic to its lineup.

For the Twins, this deal ticks a lot of boxes. For starters, they significantly upgrade their rotation with the addition of López. The righty posted a 3.75 ERA in 2022 with a 10-10 record for the Marlins. He also struck out 174 batters in 180 innings. The 26-year-old has averaged 8.6 strikeouts per nine for his career.

Minnesota also received a highly-rated prospect in Salas, who stole a combined 33 bases in 2022 at Single-A. He finished the year with a .339 on-base percentage and has star potential according to scouts. Chourio, meanwhile, batted .344 in his first season in the Dominican Summer League. He’s regarded as a plus runner, hitter and defender.

While the price was high for the Twins in terms of losing a quality bat in Arraez, they add a solid starter to the rotation and get two very good prospects with high ceilings in return. It adds to an offseason that saw star shortstop Carlos Correa return to Minnesota after his agreement with the Mets fell through. Correa eventually signed a six-year, $200 million contract with the Twins.

This is a pure baseball trade all round. The Marlins upgrade their infield and boost their lineup with Arraez, while the Twins bolster their rotation and add two talented young players to their farm system. While it will take time to see how this deal ultimately shakes out, both organizations arguably got better with the trade which is a rare thing in today’s game.

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