Pablo Lopez injuries after his last game

Whenever Twins righthander Pablo Lopez stepped onto the mound this postseason or Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez stepped to the plate, broadcasters immediately seem compelled to note they were swapped for each other last offseason in “one of those trades that helped both teams.”

Arraez was great. Lopez was great. Everyone benefitted. This was that rare trade that both teams would do again even with the benefit of hindsight.

I’ve heard this enough in recent weeks that it seems as likely to be heard during a Lopez start as the disclaimer that “any broadcast, retransmission or account of this game, without the express permission of Major League Baseball is prohibited.”