5. Jorge López
Unfortunately for the Marlins, another one of their deadline acquisitions have blown up again in their face with the acquisition of Jorge López from the Minnesota Twins. López was having a down year with the Twins in 2023, but he was only one year removed from his All-Star season last year in which he compiled a solid 2.54 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, giving up 20 earned runs, 31 walks and 72 strikeouts with 23 converted saves in 71 innings of work. So the Marlins took the chance that he could regain his dominant form with a change of scenery.
Well, he sure changed all right, but not for the better. In 12 appearances, López has posted a miserable 9.26 ERA, 2.49 WHIP, giving up 12 earned runs, nine walks and eight strikeouts in just 11.2 innings pitched. Combined with the performance of Robertson above, the duo has certainly done enough damage to push the Marlins right down the standings in the past month. López was so bad that the Marlins eventually waived him and surprisingly, the AL East leading Baltimore Orioles picked him up.
Not a very smart move, as so far in two appearances with the Orioles, López has continued his struggles, giving up two runs on four hits in just 1.2 innings of work. At this rate, the Orioles should be careful that he doesn’t end up jeopardizing their divisional title hopes in the end. Thankfully for the Phillies, they stuck with their own internal options and it has been definitely paying off so far.
One thing is for sure, as the saying goes, sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. So for the Phillies, the minimal action that they took during the trade deadline might have been a blessing in disguise, as they are currently in good position to end the season in a playoff spot and once again challenge for the World Series title.