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Okay ... I get that we live in the time of clueless arrogance about actual defensive value.  It's very much a guessing game with too many parts unaccounted for - and WAY too many to be betting large with any sense of certainty.
But, in what alternate reality would ADDING an additional position of competence REDUCE a player's value?  Willie Bloomquist is a MLB player today based almost SOLELY off the fact he can play a bunch of defensive positions competently.  In almost any fantasy game out there, having multi-position -- REGARDLESS of the positions in question, increases value.  Obviously, players have the MOST value at the position-of-scarcity -- but a 2-position player DOUBLES the potential bodies to look at for acquisition in any situation.
If Lopez displays simple major league competence -- not excellence -- his value HAS TO INCREASE.  Moving him to 3B cannot possibly lower his value.  At the moment, he has X value as a 2B -- and ZERO value as a 3B.  Even should he flop at third, he remains with zero value at 3B, and the same value he already had at 2B. 
Honestly, one of the subtle, (unmentioned), facts from 2009 is that Seattle had an EXCEPTIONALLY low number of BIPs hit to 2B, (compared to norm).  They also had a higher than normal traffic pattern toward 3B.  Maybe this was related to the makeup of the rotation, but it's also likely that some of it was just blind luck.  (Lopez had the DEAD LAST RF/9 among all qualifying 2Bs - while running a positive UZR).
Personally, I think a normal 2B distribution would likely land Lopez right back where he was in 2008, running a slightly negative UZR. 
I think Doc is on the mark that PERCEPTION is that Lopez "looks" more like a 3B, so if he's competent, it will increase his value on the open market, because I think LOTS of teams are skeptical of the defensive metrics, and rely on the old eyeball as the final arbiter of defensive prowess. 
Ultimately, if Lopez can display competence at 3B, potential suitors increase from those needing a 2B to include those in search of a 3B.  And his value REALLY climbs for any team in search of both.