The Minnesota Twins have signed starting pitcher Pablo Lopez to a four-year contract extension worth up to 73.5 million dollars. They acquired Lopez during the offseason from the Miami Marlins in exchange for reigning National League batting king Luis Arraez. The top-tier batter trade for a top-tier pitcher seems to have worked out for both parties so far.Lopez is off to an incredible start to the 2023 season, pitching for an ERA of just 1.73 through his four starts. The sample size is small, but if he can maintain anything close to this pace, he will be a Cy Young Award candidate by the end of the season.Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic broke the news of the contract extension on Twitter:Ken Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalSource confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMish970133Source confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMishMinnesota Twins fans are absolutely thrilled with this signing, as it likely means their ace is here to stay. Considering that he is 27 years old, the team could have him for the prime of his MLB career. Many fans even believe this to be a team-friendly deal and it is not all that Lopez could have gotten. Had he hit free agency, it would not have been a surprise for a bigger offer to come in.patsfb@patsfbleft a lot of money on the table. yikes. twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/…Ken Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalSource confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMish970133Source confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMishleft a lot of money on the table. yikes. twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/…KSG@KSG_SKOLPablo needs a new agent. This is a steal for the twins twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/…Ken Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalSource confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMish2133Source confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMishPablo needs a new agent. This is a steal for the twins twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/…Camden@Camden_CashThis is a massive steal considering how good he’s been. twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/…Ken Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalSource confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMish970133Source confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMishThis is a massive steal considering how good he’s been. twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/…The Twins proved they respect Pablo Lopez and want him on their team when they traded for him. Not only did they acquire him from the Marlins, they sent one of their top offensive players, which shows an incredible amount of faith in his ability to continue to produce.Brandon Velaski@bvelaskiI love this for the #MNTwins. I hate this for Pablo because there’s no offense to help him in sight twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/…Ken Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalSource confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMish970133Source confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMishI love this for the #MNTwins. I hate this for Pablo because there’s no offense to help him in sight twitter.com/ken_rosenthal/…James Smyth@JamesSmyth621Tough luck loss yesterday, but Pablo López is winning today twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/…Ken Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalSource confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMish3133Source confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMishTough luck loss yesterday, but Pablo López is winning today twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/…Linda@ninergirl783AAHHHHHHH WHAT IS HAPPENING!!! Falvey for the HUGE W! twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/…Ken Rosenthal@Ken_RosenthalSource confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMish1133Source confirms: Twins and Pablo López are close on a four-year, $73.5M extension. First: @CraigMishAAHHHHHHH WHAT IS HAPPENING!!! Falvey for the HUGE W! twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/…The Twins currently lead the American League Central and are in the mix to compete for the division crown. The Cleveland Guardians won't make it easy for them, but Lopez is the flamethrower needed to keep them at bay. While there are fears that Lopez could decline as the season goes on, this contract shows confidence that won't happen.Mikey C----Mikescards21 is myCard Account@mikedogg56387@Ken_Rosenthal @CraigMish I'm here for it!! He can be our Ace for years!!!2@Ken_Rosenthal @CraigMish I'm here for it!! He can be our Ace for years!!!Charlie Radant@charlie_radant@Ken_Rosenthal @CraigMish That’s fairly cheap ngl3@Ken_Rosenthal @CraigMish That’s fairly cheap nglChris@Chrisknickss@Ken_Rosenthal @CraigMish He’s havin a great ass year so far@Ken_Rosenthal @CraigMish He’s havin a great ass year so farThe Minnesota Twins have locked up their ace for the foreseeable future and hope he can lead them into postseason.What would it take for Minnesota Twins starter Pablo Lopez to win the Cy Young Award?Chicago White Sox v Minnesota TwinsThe American League Cy Young Award will be competitive this season due to the immense amount of talent, many of whom are off to great starts. New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is one such pitcher, who currently has an ERA of 0.95.If Pablo Lopez wants to be recognized as the best pitcher in the AL in 2023, he will have to maintain an absurd level of consistent excellence.