Lopez's days as a starter are likely over, as he was used strictly as a reliever in 2022 and turned in the best season of his career. His success can be attributed to a velocity spike on all four pitches, with noticeably more movement. Lopez averaged 97.7 mph on his sinker, a whopping +2.4 difference from 2021 that resulted in a career best 57.8% groundball rate. He also set career marks with a 2.54 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 24.2% strikeout rate. Lopez's success as a reliever afforded him closing duties early in the 2022 season. He posted 23 saves between the Orioles and Twins, but struggled with his command after the trade to Minnesota and saw limited chances for his new club. Lopez should earn a nice raise in his second year of arbitration, but his relief role for 2023 is currently unclear. He's likely to get some save chances, but don't count on double digits in the category again. Somewhere from seven to 15 saves is a more reasonable expectation. Read Past Outlooks