If you’re a baseball fan, the name Jorge Lopez probably rings a bell.
Last week, he was the story in Major League Baseball after he was ejected in a lopsided loss for the New York Mets. After arguing a pitch that was called a ball, Lopez eventually walked off the field, tossing his glove in the stands as he walked to the dugout.
His exit from the game was a spectacle enough, but his postgame interview is where things really went south. When asked about the incident, Lopez went on to say something that split baseball fans.
Some heard Lopez say “I’m on the worst team in all of f**ing MLB,” while others heard him say “I’m the worst teammate in all of f***ing MLB.”
Regardless of what you heard, it’s entirely to be expected that a quote that reads “I think I’ve been on the worst team probably in the whole f***ing MLB” is going to take off a lot quicker than a quote about being the worst teammate in the league.,
Lopez maintained that he said/meant that he was the worst teammate, and that he had no intention of disparaging the Mets organization. He was designated for assignment the following day, and today was officially released by the Mets organization.
Now as a free agent, he could garner some interest around the league, especially from some teams that have struggled mightily with their bullpen pitching.
The Pirates fit that bill very well, coming off a horrific May that saw their relieving staff collectively posting a 5.21 ERA and 1.517 WHIP. I don’t blame anybody for at least being interesting in bringing Lopez in.
However, despite the bullpen clearly still being a weakness for the team, the Pirates should NOT go after Jorge Lopez.
It’s not about the postgame interview with the Mets.
If you’re asking me what I hear, I honesty hear “teammate” not team. I hear him say “I’m the worst teammate in all of f***ing MLB.”
It’s also important to note that English is not Lopez’s first language. Especially working with no interpreter, it could be easy for wording that sounds very similar to get mixed up. Unfortunately for him, it just happened at the worst possible time.
But I don’t need to defend Lopez here, because the actual reason I believe the Pirates should not go after him is his on-field performance.
A free agent signing by New York this offseason, Lopez pitched 26.1 innings out of the Mets bullpen, recording a 3.76 ERA. His WHIP stood at 1.367 and he allowed 8.5 hits per nine innings.
His ERA would be among the better figures in Pittsburgh’s bullpen. Only Colin Holderman (0.93) and Luis Ortiz (2.94) have better ERAs currently among current players on the major league roster, but what concerns me about Lopez is his consistency.
Over the course of his major league career, Lopez has been all over the map. He has been lights out or a bit of a liability, but more often than not it’s been the latter. The case for his inconsistency can even be made looking at his last few years on the mound.
The 31-year old Lopez went from being an All Star in 2022 to posting an ERA of 5+ with three different teams the following year.
In 2022, he pitched 48.1 innings for the Baltimore Orioles, going 4-6 with a 1.68 ERA and usually being used as the team’s closer. His WHIP was fantastic at 0.972 and his strikeout to walk ratio was a stellar 3.18.
During that season, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins, where things quickly fell apart. His ERA and WHIP skyrocketed to 4.37 and 1.632, respectively, in 22.2 innings. His strikeout to walk ratio had tumbled all the way to 1.29.
Last season, he split the year between three major league teams, but none of those stints proved to be successful. He was 4-2 with the Twins to open the year, with a 5.09 ERA in 35.1 innings pitched.
Minnesota then moved on, trading him to Miami in late July. Things got much worse for Lopez once he dawned a Marlins jersey.
In 11.2 innings pitched, Lopez had an ERA of 9.26, and a WHIP of 2.486. He suffered a lot of control issues (his K/BB ratio was actually under 1.00), and gave up at least one run in half of his Marlins contests.
In early September, he was waived by Miami, and claimed by Baltimore to reunite him with the Orioles. To his credit, he did rebound a little. His ERA with the Orioles had plummeted back to 5.25 in 12.0 innings, and his 14 strikeouts to 2 walks was quite the impressive stat.
However, he gave up 4 home runs in 12 games played for the team, evident that something still just wasn’t working for him.
Lopez only has two full seasons in the major leagues with an ERA under 5.00. His career ERA is 5.42 in over 500 innings for the righty.
There’s a lot greater chance that the Pirates get the bad version of Lopez than the good version, and if that’s the case, what makes Lopez any different than any of the struggling other options the Pirates have?
What makes him better than Hunter Stratton or Carmen Mlodzinski, who have better career ERAs and are much younger?
What makes him better than Aroldis Chapman, who clearly has lost a step but showed last night that he still can find that flare every now and then?
What makes him than Luis Ortiz, who has actually been able to hold his own this season despite having similar career stats to Lopez?
The answer to me is not much. He’s just too inconsistent to really make a difference in the Pirates bullpen that is the literal definition of inconsistent.
(Featured photo by Frank Franklin II/Associated Press)
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