After sealing big deal, Lopez calls Twins ‘right’ fit
MINNEAPOLIS — Pablo López quickly felt at home with the Minnesota Twins.
“By the time the trade happened, I heard from multiple people how good of a fit this would be, and I can’t put into words how right that was,” López said Friday after finalizing a contract that guarantees $73.5 million over four seasons from 2024 to 2027.
Acquired from Miami in a January swap that sent American League batting champion and fan favorite Luis Arraez to the Marlins, López is 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA through four starts with 33 strikeouts in 26 innings and only 15 hits allowed.
He is earning $5.45 million this season in a one-year deal agreed to in January. His new agreement calls for a $1 million signing bonus, half payable within 60 days of the contract’s approval by the commissioner’s office and half payable Jan. 15. He gets an $8 million salary in 2024 and $21.5 million in each of the following three seasons.
“When we traded for him and had that first phone call with him, the first words out of his mouth were, ‘Thank you’ and then it was, ‘I’m going to do everything I can every day to make the Minnesota Twins better and make my teammates better,'” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “I can’t think of something that sums up Pablo López more than that statement, and I’m thrilled to be able to say today that he will be here with us for a long time.”
In addition to the base salaries, López would earn a $500,000 bonus for winning a Cy Young Award, $250,000 for finishing second in the voting, $150,000 for third and $100,000 for fourth through sixth. López would get $25,000 for All-Star election or selection, $25,000 for a Gold Glove, $100,000 for World Series MVP and $50,000 for league championship series MVP.
“Still feels surreal at times,” López said, “but I’m just looking forward to every single day of my career here.”
The new deal for the 27-year-old gives the Twins additional long-term stability around a rotation that has emerged as a strength.
Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda and Tyler Mahle are all in the final year of their contracts, eligible to become free agents in the fall. Their uncertain status for next season only underscored the team’s interest in committing to López, who had a 3.94 ERA over 94 starts with the Marlins.
Joe Ryan is the only other starter under club control beyond 2023. There’s viable depth in Triple-A — including Bailey Ober, who has a 3.81 ERA in 31 major league starts — and Chris Paddack is due back from Tommy John elbow surgery around midseason this year. But the 27-year-old López, a native of Venezuela, has given the Twins an ace-caliber leader to build around. He took the mound for a career-high 32 starts last season.
“Knowing that you have someone with the presence that Pablo has, with the work ethic he has, all the things he’s going to show,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “When you have that type of confidence in a guy, it makes you feel wonderful. And he’s going to be leading us now for a very long time at the top of our staff.”
In other moves, the Twins reinstated infielder Jorge Polanco from the 10-day injured list on Friday. Should Polanco play Friday against the visiting Washington Nationals, it would mark his season debut. Polanco missed the Twins’ first 19 games after opening the season on the IL because of left knee inflammation.
The Twins also recalled right-handed pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson from Triple-A St. Paul and optioned infielder Edouard Julien and right-hander Jorge Alcala to Triple-A.
Polanco, 29, batted .231 during his rehab assignments at Low-A Fort Myers and Triple-A. In 752 career games with the Twins since his 2014 debut, Polanco is a .270 hitter with 98 home runs, 399 RBIs and 47 stolen bases. He was an All-Star in 2019.
Woods Richardson, 22, made his major league debut in October and scattered 3 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs (two earned) over five innings in a loss to Detroit.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
The final week ahead of the 2024-25 NHL trade deadline brought new faces to contending teams across the league, reaching a crescendo on deadline day, with Mikko Rantanen traded to the Dallas Stars, Brad Marchand shipped to the Florida Panthers and the Colorado Avalanche loading up with two new centers (Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle).
And now, the race for the playoffs is officially on!
In the East, the Atlantic Division seeds seem pretty well set, and that goes for two of three Metro Division seeds as well; the New Jersey Devils, in the No. 3 spot, are dealing with major injury woes. They are currently without Jack Hughes, Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler.
But it’s in the wild-card race where things get truly, well, wild. The Columbus Blue Jackets (68 points in 62 games) and Ottawa Senators (67 in 61) hold those positions heading into Saturday’s slate of games. But five teams are within four points of the Sens, with around 20 games left each.
There are six teams in the West that seem fairly secure in their playoff position — the top three Central teams (along with the Minnesota Wild in the first wild-card spot), as well as the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific. The Los Angeles Kings (71 points in 60 games) and Vancouver Canucks (69 in 62) have some work left to do to stave off the Calgary Flames (68 in 62), St. Louis Blues (68 in 64) and Utah Hockey Club (66 in 63).
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Saturday’s schedule
Friday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Columbus Blue Jackets
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Ottawa Senators
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Vancouver Canucks
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings
Saturday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
New York Rangers at Ottawa Senators, 12:30 p.m.
Seattle Kraken at Philadelphia Flyers, 12:30 p.m. (ABC/ESPN+)
Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning, 3 p.m. (ABC/ESPN+)
Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers, 6 p.m.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Colorado Avalanche, 7 p.m. (NHLN)
Montreal Canadiens at Calgary Flames, 7 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Los Angeles Kings, 8 p.m.
Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers, 10 p.m.
New York Islanders at San Jose Sharks, 10 p.m.
Friday’s scoreboard
Winnipeg Jets 6, New Jersey Devils 1
Washington Capitals 5, Detroit Red Wings 2
Chicago Blackhawks 4, Utah Hockey Club 3 (OT)
Vancouver Canucks 3, Minnesota Wild 1
Vegas Golden Knights 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 0
St. Louis Blues 4, Anaheim Ducks 3
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 19
Points pace: 105.4
Next game: vs. BUF (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 20
Points pace: 104.5
Next game: @ COL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 78
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 20
Points pace: 103.2
Next game: vs. BOS (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 21
Points pace: 90.1
Next game: vs. NYR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 85.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 87.3
Next game: @ CGY (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 19.8%
Tragic number: 40
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 85.9
Next game: @ OTT (Monday)
Playoff chances: 8.3%
Tragic number: 38
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 82.0
Next game: @ TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 2.5%
Tragic number: 34
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 21
Points pace: 72.6
Next game: @ FLA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 30
Metro Division
Points: 90
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 19
Points pace: 117.1
Next game: vs. SEA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 78
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 19
Points pace: 101.5
Next game: vs. WPG (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 72
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 18
Points pace: 92.3
Next game: @ PHI (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 86.5%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 20
Points pace: 89.9
Next game: @ NYR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 27.1%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 88.6
Next game: @ OTT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 31.1%
Tragic number: 41
Points: 63
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 21
Points pace: 84.7
Next game: @ SJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 29.7%
Tragic number: 39
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 80.7
Next game: vs. SEA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 9.5%
Tragic number: 34
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 16
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 73.2
Next game: @ MIN (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 26
Central Division
Points: 92
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 18
Points pace: 117.9
Next game: @ CAR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 20
Points pace: 111.1
Next game: @ EDM (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 19
Points pace: 98.9
Next game: vs. TOR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 19
Points pace: 98.9
Next game: vs. PIT (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 94.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 87.1
Next game: @ LA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 37.2%
Tragic number: 36
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 85.9
Next game: vs. TOR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 26.4%
Tragic number: 36
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 70.1
Next game: vs. CHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 25
Points: 48
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 62.5
Next game: @ NSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 18
Pacific Division
Points: 82
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 20
Points pace: 108.5
Next game: vs. LA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 76
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 20
Points pace: 100.5
Next game: vs. DAL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.7%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 22
Points pace: 97.0
Next game: vs. STL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 84.1%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 20
Points pace: 91.3
Next game: vs. DAL (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 30.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 89.9
Next game: vs. MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 27.5%
Tragic number: 40
Points: 61
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 20
Points pace: 80.7
Next game: vs. NYI (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 33
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 19
Points pace: 72.9
Next game: @ PHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 26
Points: 43
Regulation wins: 12
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 55.1
Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 11
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Points: 43
Regulation wins: 12
Points: 48
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 53
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 54
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 58
Regulation wins: 16
Points: 61
Regulation wins: 19
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 63
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 20
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 67
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 22
Sports
Winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline including the Panthers, Stars and double-flip deals
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Ryan S. Clark
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Greg Wyshynski
The NHL trade deadline for the 2024-25 season is not until March 7, but teams have not waited until the last minute to make major moves.
For every significant trade that occurs during the season, you’ll find a grade for it here, the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks swapping goaltenders, Cam Fowler to the St. Louis Blues, Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, the blockbuster deal sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes and Martin Necas to the Avalanche, J.T. Miller from the Vancouver Canucks to the New York Rangers, and the Canucks staying busy and getting Marcus Pettersson from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
March 1 featured three big trades, with Ryan Lindgren headed to the Colorado Avalanche, the Minnesota Wild adding Gustav Nyquist, and Seth Jones joining the Florida Panthers. The middle of deadline week included a reunion for Yanni Gourde, heading back to the Tampa Bay Lightning along with Oliver Bjorkstrand. March 6 also brought a flurry, with Reilly Smith traded back to the Vegas Golden Knights, Brock Nelson headed to the Avalanche and Jake Walman shipped to the Edmonton Oilers.
Read on for grades from Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski, and check back the next time a big deal breaks.
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