Pablo Lopez reacts to ‘bittersweet’ trade that sent him from Miami Marlins to Twins

In five seasons with the Miami Marlins, Pablo Lopez learned a lot about himself. He broke out over the past two seasons into one of the league’s top pitchers when healthy and found his identity both as a player and a person.

His tenure with the Marlins came to a close on Friday, when Miami traded him and two prospects (infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio) to the Minnesota Twins for infielder and reigning American League batting champion Luis Arraez.

Pablo Lopez’s summation of the day?

“Bittersweet,” Lopez said.

But with that, Lopez understood that a move could potentially come.

Lopez is coming off his best season as a big leaguer. After dealing with various arm injuries that forced him to miss time in 2019 and 2021, Lopez made all of his scheduled starts last season — a first for the 26-year-old in a non-shortened season. He posted with a 3.75 ERA over 180 innings with 174 strikeouts against 53 walks, a .234 batting average against and a 1.17 walks and hits per inning pitched mark — the latter two marks both below his career averages (.242 average, 1.19 WHIP).

His name was floated at MLB’s trade deadline last season, and the Marlins added to their starting pitching depth when they signed veteran Johnny Cueto to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2024.

Lopez said he tried to ignore trade rumors but he had family members keeping him updated on the talks that were surfacing.

“Rumors are rumors until something actually happens,” Lopez said.

And now that something happened, he is preparing for his next chapter. Lopez has fond memories of the Twins growing up, mostly because he loved watching fellow Venezuelan Johan Santana pitch for them from 2000-2007, a stretch that included three All-Star appearances (2005-2007) and two Cy Young Awards (2004 and 2006).

“He had the time of his career with the Minnesota Twins,” Lopez said. “I have big memories of watching him on TV.”

The Twins hope Lopez can make some big memories of his own in Minnesota. He was the Twins’ clear-cut target when discussing a possible trade with the Marlins.

“This guy’s a leader. This guy’s a worker. He’s a winning player all the way through,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “I know this is a fantastic spot for him. ... We need a guy like Pablo Lopez to continue to augment and make our pitching staff better.”

Lopez, though, will not forget his time with the Marlins. He made his MLB debut with the club on June 30, 2018, a little less than a year after Miami acquired him from the Seattle Mariners as part of the David Phelps trade. He became a mainstay in the rotation after that and was known for his upbeat persona and positive mentality in addition to his changeup that developed into one of MLB’s best.

He set an MLB record on July 11, 2021, when he struck out the first nine batters he faced in a win over the Atlanta Braves.

He formed a brotherhood with Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the two bonding over the loss of loved ones in recent years — Lopez his father in 2020, Alcantara his mom in 2021.

“I was able to develop a lot of good relationships within the Marlins organization,” Lopez said. “At the end of the day, a lot of times we get too caught up in getting pitcher and pitching every five days and when we leave the stadium, we’re dealing with a lot of other stuff. A lot of the guys in that clubhouse really had my back when it comes to Pablo the person. Those relationships are relationships I’m going to cherish forever.”

But on the business side, Lopez is focused on building on his breakout 2022 season. It’ll just happen in a Twins jersey instead of a Marlins one.

“It’s a never-ending process,” Lopez said. “You’re always learning. You’re always hoping to get better. You’re always hoping that you’re never satisfied. ... I really found my identity as a pitcher, my identity as a teammate. In 2022, I was able to just come to the field excited to find new ways to get better. Seeing that process of getting better is really encouraging because it lets you know there are so many things out there that you can be working on to become better.”