It looks like the rumors about the Twins trading Luis Arraez are true. The reigning AL batting champ is being traded to Miami.
The All-Star second baseman will be shipped to the Marlins for right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez according to the Twins.
Miami is including their number five prospect, infielder Jose Salas, along with one other prospect, outfielder Byron Chourio who is just 17-years old.
Arraez is coming off a career year. He was an All-Star and won the AL batting title last season when hitting .316. He walked 50 times compared to only 43 strikeouts in 603 plate appearances.
This trade marks the first time since 1978 that a reigning batting champion was traded in the offseason. The last time it happened also involved the Twins when they sent Rod Carew to the Angels after he hit .333 to lead the AL.
Lopez has appeared in 94 games with Miami over since 2018. The 26-year old Venezuelan has gone 28-31 with a 3.94 ERA and 489 strikeouts in 510 innings as a starting pitcher.
Salas, 19, split the 2022 season between Low-A Jupiter and High-A Beloit, combining to hit .250 (103-for-412) with 20 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 41 RBI, 69 runs scored, 43 walks, 33 stolen bases (34 attempts) and a .723 OPS in 109 games. The 6-foot-2, 191-pound switch-hitting infielder has appeared in 164 minor league games, all in the Marlins system, hitting .268 (164-for-612) with 34 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs, 60 RBI, 95 runs scored, 65 walks, a .356 on-base percentage and a .747 OPS. The Kissimmee, Florida native was signed by the Marlins as an international free agent on July 2, 2019 out of Venezuela, and is currently ranked as the number three prospect in the Marlins system by Baseball Prospectus, number four by Baseball America and number five by MLB.com.
Chourio, 17, hit .344 (63-for-183) with nine doubles, one home run, 23 RBI, 25 walks, 19 stolen bases, 47 runs scored, a .429 on-base percentage and an .838 OPS in 51 games for the Dominican Summer League Marlins in 2022, after signing with the organization on June 1 of last year. The switch-hitting outfielder recorded a career-high four hits three times (July 1, July 8 and July 12) and had multiple hits in 16 of his 51 games (31%). The Merida, Venezuela native ranked tied for eighth among qualified DSL hitters in runs scored and was 10th in batting average and hits.
Arraez, who was originally signed by the Twins as an international free agent in November of 2013, played parts of four seasons with Minnesota, hitting .314 (444-for-1413) with 77 doubles, eight triples, 14 home runs, 132 RBI, 216 runs scored and a .374 on-base percentage in 389 career games.
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