Latest news with #PabloLopez
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Even with Twins out of contention, Pablo López aims for late season return: ‘I want to do it'
MINNEAPOLIS — If all goes according to plan, Pablo López could see himself making four to six starts before the season ends. As he prepared Thursday for an upcoming live batting practice, the Minnesota Twins starting pitcher said he's not interested in being shut down before the season ends even though the team isn't contending for a postseason spot. For López, demonstrating good health before October is critical. He hopes Friday's planned two-inning live batting practice, the first batters he'll face since being placed on the injured list on June 4 with a Grade 2 Teres Major strain, is the next step in a positive recovery process, one in which López has hit every mark. Advertisement 'I want to do it,' López said. 'I want to be able to tell myself I was able to come back from this injury and pitch and perform at the level I know I can perform. … I want to have a regular offseason where I can follow the progression I've been following the last couple of years.' He's feeling anxious about the possibility of returning. Early, López didn't feel nervous when the big steps in his recovery were playing catch three days in a row from 75 feet. But López recognizes he's reached a point in which the intensity increases as hitters step in to face him Friday. He also understands if this next activity goes well, he would soon likely find himself making a minor-league rehab start. Communication is critical with the athletic and strength and conditioning staffs. 'They want to make sure we're taking all the right steps,' López said. 'I have to make sure I'm being smart about it. I have to be like, 'Is there something feeling different? Does this need a little more TLC than normal?' So far everything's been feeling the way it does during the regular season if I didn't get hurt.' López is doing his best at adjusting to life after suffering a major injury. The right-hander acknowledges feeling disconnected from the team, especially after he was stuck rehabbing at home during a wild trade deadline in which eight teammates were dealt while the Twins were in Cleveland (the transactions involving Chris Paddack and Jhoan Duran were finalized during a homestand). 'There were some people I didn't know initially who were here,' López said. 'Definitely added to feeling disconnected. … I'm just welcoming everyone and we have to play the games we have in front of us with the talent that we have.' López enjoys watching young players like Luke Keaschall get their opportunities. He acknowledged being surprised by Thursday's news the Pohlad family would retain controlling ownership after selling off at least 20 percent of the club to two minority ownership groups. Advertisement Similar to anyone in the Twins' realm, López, who is the team's highest-paid player, wondered what happened and what's to come. 'Did someone get cold feet?' López said. 'Was someone less interested or maybe they thought they were going to and it didn't happen? … Obviously, we've seen the trend the last couple of years of trimming down payroll. I don't know if that's going to keep happening. … It'll be interesting to see what comes forward.' López should be particularly interested in what's ahead. One benefit to him returning before the season ends and demonstrating health is it would make him easier to trade, if the Twins opted to tear down the roster a little more. He is owed $43 million over the final two seasons of his contract. Though he'd be difficult to replace, the Twins showed in late July they're not afraid to trade anyone who isn't bolted down by a no-trade clause. Were López to enter the offseason healthy, a team starved for starting pitching might potentially blow the Twins away for their frontline starter. It all starts with Friday's live BP session. 'I want to be able to go into the offseason feeling healthy and knowing I'm healthy, knowing that I can pitch and I can perform,' López said. 'That will make it easier in my head to go into the offseason and be like I know it's going to be a regular offseason.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Forbes
01-08-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Minnesota Twins Traded 10 Players At The Deadline Including Carlos Correa
Heading into the 2025 season, MGM Bets had the Minnesota Twins at +120 to reach the post-season. Vegas Insider has them +260 to win the American League Central Division. Austin Mock of The Athletic predicted the team would win 85 games and finish in first place. But then the games began to be played. At present, the team is 51-57, 12 games back of division leader Detroit. They project to finish the season in the same position, with just 78 wins. The good news: that would be about 18 games ahead of the Chicago White Sox. It just never came together for Minnesota this season. Injuries to Byron Buxton (to be expected), and pitchers Bailey Ober, Louis Varland, and Michael Tonkin set them back. Pitcher Pablo López was sidelined with a shoulder injury for much of the season. And June was the killer. As spring turned to summer, the team went 9-18, with a 6.07 ERA. They gave up 35 home runs over the course of the month. Furthering their demise is that Carlos Correa – even though healthy – is just having an off year. And by off, I mean, horrible. He has played in 93 of the team's 108 games, but has accrued only 0.1 bWAR to date. He has hit seven home runs with 31 RBI, and is slashing .267/.319/.386. Not the numbers one would expect – that the team needs – from their $200 million shortstop. So, with the season essentially a bust, Minnesota went about dismantling the whole thing by Thursday evening. This was, in no uncertain terms, a fire sale. The team traded away ten players, including the aforementioned Correa, sending him back to his original team, the Houston Astros. Correa agreed to waive his no-trade clause – he told president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey he would only waive it for the Astros – and the mid-market Twins agreed to cover $33 million of the about $104 million remaining on his deal. Here is a look at the rest of the departures (and the returns therefor): Earlier in the week the Twins kicked things off by sending pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak to the Detroit Tigers in return for catcher Enrique Jimenez, their number 14 prospect. Harrison Bader, who came to the Twins this offseason on a $4.75 million deal (which includes a mutual $10 million option or a $1.5 million buyout), is heading to the Philadelphia Phillies in return for two minor leaguers. Joining Bader in the City of Brotherly Love is hard-throwing closer Jhoan Durán. For an elite reliever under team control through 2027, the Twins received two Top-100 prospects – catcher Eduardo Tait and right-handed pitcher Mick Abel. Brock Stewart is leaving the Midwest for Tinseltown, as he was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder James Outman. Outman has been a bit of the odd man out this season, and has not performed when called upon; but he has tasted winning, and could be a strong addition to the team. Pitcher Danny Coulombe and his 1.16 ERA was sent to Texas in return for left-hander Garrett Horn. Utility stalwart Willi Castro packed up and went 400 miles southeast, joining the Chicago Cubs. Minnesota received two Double-A pitchers in the trade. Griffin Jax, one of the hottest young arms on the market, went to Tampa Bay in return for former hot commodity, Taj Bradley. Bradley was recently demoted to Triple-A after another frustrating start to his season. He may not ever become the top-of-the-line starter that the Rays envisioned when they selected him in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. Louis Varland, a Minnesota native is headed out of the country, joining the first place Toronto Blue Jays. On the same flight is first baseman Ty France, who signed a one-year, $1 million contract prior to the season. For their two players, the Twins got back two Blue Jays players: left-handed pitcher Kendrys Rojas and outfielder Alan Roden. When all was said and done, the Twins departed with nearly 40% of their active roster. The saved a bunch of money – most of it from Correa – and hit the reset button. The team is in the process of being sold. With the current owners on the way out, and no new owners in place (or even identified), it is hard to know what the future holds for the club. They have not drawn two million fans to their beautiful ballpark since 2019, and haven't won a playoff series since 1991 (when they won the World Series). Maybe this is the moment to start anew and build something that can last. Otherwise, this will just be another floundering franchise which exists simply to develop players for other teams to poach at the trade deadline. And how saw would that be?
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Another MN Twins Starter Nearing Return to Rotation
The Minnesota Twins starting rotation has been a shell of itself for most of the summer. Pablo Lopez went down first and then was followed by Zebby Matthews. Bailey Ober pitched through some injuries, and it took a month of ineffectiveness before the team put him on the injured list. Lopez remains out, and will be until at least mid-August. Ober's injury was expected to be less serious even though it was initially reported to be representative of necessary mechanical tweaks. The tall right-hander made an initial rehab appearance with Triple-A St. Paul last week. It now appears his return to the big league rotation may be imminent. Related Headlines Minnesota Timberwolves Pick Called Steal of NBA Draft MN Wild TV Broadcast Ranked Embarrassingly Low MN Vikings WR3 'Competition' is Fake News Bailey Ober almost back for Minnesota Twins Last week Bailey Ober worked four scoreless innings for the St. Paul Saints as he kicked off a rehab assignment. He came out of the appearance feeling good and is trending towards a return. The Athletic's Dan Hayes has provided the next step in that process. With Ober set to pitch Friday for Triple-A St. Paul, he could be an option for the Minnesota Twins early next week. He'd be lined up to pitch Wednesday at home against the Boston Red Sox. That happens to be the day before the MLB Trade Deadline. At his best Ober is a reliable back-end starter. He posted a 3.66 ERA across 68 outings from 2022-2024. He has rarely been at his best this season and it's drawn frustration from the fans and team alike. His 9.00 ERA and 14 home runs across 30 innings in June were nothing short of disastrous. Where does Bailey Ober fit for MN Twins? Right now there isn't an immediate rotation spot open. Moving Chris Paddack would be a straightforward way to change that reality. Paddack is owed the final portion of his $7.5 million salary, and may have use to a team looking for a back-end starter down the stretch. After Ober got shelled by St. Louis while pitching sick, he turned in 11 starts with a 2.43 ERA (3.26 FIP). He doesn't need to be that good, and even if he is it's unlikely the Minnesota Twins get back in the playoff picture. Still, he needs to instill confidence that he can be a realistic rotation option moving forward. Related: All eyes will be on the velocity and stuff Friday at Triple-A. His 90.4 mph average fastball is down from his 91+ mph career averages. It's not much, but with a pitcher that relies on extension, the little things matter. Ober probably did need to make some mechanical tweaks, but it was disingenuous to overlook the hip discomfort in that process. Hopefully both situations have resolved themselves upon his return to the big leagues. Related Headlines Minnesota Timberwolves Pick Called Steal of NBA Draft MN Wild TV Broadcast Ranked Embarrassingly Low MN Vikings WR3 'Competition' is Fake News
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Injured MN Twins Starters Nearing Return, Including Pablo Lopez…
It's looking more and more likely that the Minnesota Twins will stand pat at the trade deadline. There are just two weeks left before Derek Falvey must make decisions, and the team sits at 47-49. The last few deadlines Minnesota has opted against doing anything of substance. That has left the clubhouse frustrated, and last year they didn't make the postseason at all. This time around the team is underachieving and chasing a wild card spot aggressively may be foolish. That said, the team may feel like it's trading with themselves by getting talent back healthy. The starting rotation has been without Pablo Lopez, Zebby Matthews, and Bailey Ober. They may not be for much longer. Infielder Luke Keaschall looks to join them as well. Related Headlines Bears Nearly Drafted JJ McCarthy Over Caleb Williams with No. 1 Pick A-Rod, Lore Trying to Bring KG Home… Among Other Former Timberwolves To Whom It May Concern: Good Luck Prying Joe Ryan Out of Minnesota Zebby Matthews coming for Minnesota Twins It shouldn't be a shock that Zebby Matthews is nearing a return for the Minnesota Twins. He threw a rehab game for the St. Paul Saints on Sunday (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K). With more work over the All-Star Break, it's likely he's activated by the weekend. That would presumably boost the roation. 'The current situation is a crapshoot, though Zebby Matthews' performance at Triple A on Sunday offers encouragement. Matthews struck out nine in four scoreless innings, which leads one to believe he'll return to the majors soon.' Dan Hayes – The Athletic Soon is what Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggested. Almost immediately might be easier to put it. As of Thursday, the Minnesota Twins have not set their probables for the three-game series starting on Friday in Colorado. Matthews could utilize long-reliever Travis Adams in a piggyback spot if the Twins wanted to activate him. Adams has taken two turns with an opener for Rocco Baldelli. Across eight innings he has allowed seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits. His last time out, a four inning appearance Pittsburgh, Adams earned the win after pitching four innings of two-run (one earned) baseball. Related: Matthews has hardly been a sure thing for the Twins this season. He has a 5.21 ERA (3.08 FIP) in four starts (19 innings), but his last one was the best. Hurt by the same field conditions that teammate Joe Ryan blamed for Pablo Lopez's injury, Matthews bringing his Sunday stuff forward would be a big boost to the rotation. Bailey Ober and Luke Keaschall headed to St. Paul Unlike Matthews, Bailey Ober has had just a minimal stay on the injured list. Dealing with hip discomfort that resulted in a 9.00 ERA across 30 innings in June, Ober pitched terribly. The Twins continued to run him out to the mound, suggesting mechanical tweaks were necessary. They finally gave in, and Hayes is reporting the hip issue has now finally cleared up. 'With his hip inflammation resolved, Bailey Ober is throwing bullpen sessions and won't need much time, either. Still, it wouldn't be surprising to see Ober make one rehab start since he and the Twins spent the last week trying to clean up mechanical flaws in his delivery.' – Dan Hayes Ober will make that rehab start on Friday, and he's being joined by rookie infielder Luke Keaschall. It will be very interesting to see what Ober looks like. If the velocity and stuff still look diminished, it will be difficult to trust the Twins assessment that he can be competitive the rest of the way. Keaschall is more straightforward as imaging clearly suggests his broken forearm is healed. Minnesota got just a seven-game sample size from Keaschall before a hit by pitch stopped his hot streak. He went 7-for-19 with three doubles, five stolen bases, and a 2/5 K/BB. If that level of production rejoins the offense the the lineup will be better for it. Keaschall suffered his forearm fracture at the end of April and was looking to get comfortable back in the box last week. Royce Lewis, Willi Castro, and Brooks Lee are all healthy now. That presumably takes some options away from Keaschall. That said, he could spend time all over the infield, including first base as a better platoon partner with Kody Clemens than Ty France has been. No matter what, if Keaschall and Ober are healthy and look ready to produce, the Minnesota Twins will find room. Pablo Lopez going to pitch through it for MN Twins Of those pitchers hurt, no injury is more significant than ace Pablo Lopez. The shoulder strain is the same injury that ended Joe Ryan's season last year. The timeline presented was 8-12 weeks, but Lopez won't have additional time to get back to 100%. 'I have to be smart about it. That doesn't mean that you're not going to be able to throw with an MRI showing a little bit of something. And that's also when I have to be honest, be like, 'Hey, I feel like I can push myself.' Now, it's like I know that I can still perform while my body continues to do its thing and heal.' Pablo Lopez The reality that Lopez won't return in a full capacity this year is tough to swallow. Even with the extended time off, he'll be pushing himself to work through different levels of hesitation. Lopez is extremely intelligent and knows his body very well. What level of competitiveness he can provide could go a long ways to determining Minnesota's yearly outcome. Lopez is having the best season of his career. With a 2.82 ERA (2.98 FIP) and 61/14 K/BB across 60 2/3 innings, it's almost a guarantee he would have been an All-Star if healthy. That's why the Minnesota Twins want him back. The part they have to weigh is at what cost it comes. That's probably where Lopez's knowledge of himself comes in. With the ability to see imaging at any point, it Minnesota will be heavily reliant upon the feedback that Lopez provides. He'll need to be real with himself, and upfront about his capacity as well. Related: A quality arm at the level that Lopez is will be far-and-away more impactful than anything the Twins can do at the trade deadline. They don't need him to feel as though he must shoulder that load, literally and figuratively, however. Related Headlines Bears Nearly Drafted JJ McCarthy Over Caleb Williams with No. 1 Pick A-Rod, Lore Trying to Bring KG Home… Among Other Former Timberwolves To Whom It May Concern: Good Luck Prying Joe Ryan Out of Minnesota
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Minnesota Twins Lose Young Pitcher to Injured List
Coming into the 2025 Major League Baseball season the Minnesota Twins felt good about their pitching depth. Derek Falvey had a plethora of options to fill in throughout the starting rotation. Fast forward to where we are now and that depth has all but been used up and exposed. The tough thing about depth is that while it exists, the ceiling isn't what you start with, and the floor is much lower. In large part that's why the Twins find themselves with a 49-52 record looking at a selloff come the July 31st trade deadline. With Pablo Lopez still on the injured list, David Festa is now on his way to join him. Related Headlines Former MN Vikings Linebacker Calls It a Career Minnesota Vikings Tight End Quietly Sitting on Big Season? Minnesota Timberwolves Pick Called Steal of NBA Draft David Festa heads to IL for Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins have had David Festa make 11 appearances (10 starts) this season. His latest came Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. While he worked into the sixth inning and looked no worse for wear, something was determined amiss and he's headed to the injured list. The injury designation is right shoulder inflammation. That's certainly not great news and shouldn't be workload related. He pitched 103 2/3 innings in 2022, 92 1/3 in 2023, and 124 2/3 last year. Right now Festa is at just 82 innings pitched between the majors and Triple-A. Festa made it through his start on Monday fine. In fact, Rocco Baldelli sent him back out for the sixth inning, to face the Dodgers a third time through the lineup. That's something the skipper has not done with young arms this season and would seem to indicate there were no injury concerns. Related: It's possible that Festa simply needs a break, or that something popped up when he returned to the ballpark on Tuesday. At any rate, Travis Adams is back again to replace him. Adams has been up twice previously this season and made his major league debut. Across three games he has pitched nine innings allowing seven runs (six earned) on 12 hits. He has a 6/1 K/BB. MN Twins injury issues may not be over Festa's placement on the injured list was somewhat of a surprise. If there was a candidate to be cautious of it was reliever Anthony Misiewicz. He was on the mound late against Los Angeles on Tuesday and left with a pectoral injury. At this point Misiewicz is considered day-to-day. He has pitched in four games for the Twins and allowed five runs on four hits in just 4 1/3 innings. As a lefty, he gives Baldelli a low-leverage option without having to utilize Danny Coulombe in those spots. Related: Considering Coulombe is a prime trade candidate next week, the Minnesota Twins may need to look at a recall of Kody Funderburk if they want a second southpaw in the bullpen. At any rate, Misiewicz is likely unavailable for Wednesday's game against Los Angeles. Hopefully he feels well enough to avoid a trip to the injured list. Related Headlines Former MN Vikings Linebacker Calls It a Career Minnesota Vikings Tight End Quietly Sitting on Big Season? Minnesota Timberwolves Pick Called Steal of NBA Draft
