After starting 11-7 and surprisingly leading the AL Central three weeks into the season, the Twins have dropped 10 of 12, settling into their expected below-.500 home.
In all likelihood, Minnesota will be a seller once again, one year removed from unloading 11 players from its 26-man roster in the span of four days.
How aggressive could this year’s fire sale be?
Well, let’s take a gander at some contract situations.
Absolutely on the Trade Block:
C Ryan Jeffers ($6.7M, Free Agent this winter)
1B/DH Josh Bell ($5.75M, $10M mutual option)
LHP Taylor Rogers ($2M, Free Agent this winter)
Probably on the Block:
RHP Joe Ryan ($6.2M, arbitration eligible for 2027)
RHP Bailey Ober ($5.2M, arbitration eligible for 2027)
OF Trevor Larnach ($4.475M, arbitration eligible for 2027)
RHP Justin Topa ($1.225M, arbitration eligible for 2027)
LHP Anthony Banda ($1.625M, arbitration eligible for 2027)
C/1B Victor Caratini ($7M, $7M in 2027)
Maybe Available:
CF Byron Buxton ($15M annually 2026-28; full no-trade clause)
3B Royce Lewis ($2.85M, arbitration eligible for 2027 and 2028)
It’s quite unlikely the Twins will unload 11 players again, but that’s 11 viable options right there. And, if healthy, our early guess is that at least six of them will be on the move in a bit of a Fire Sale 2.0.
Joe Ryan remains the big fish that everyone is monitoring. If he or Byron Buxton gets shipped out, that’s essentially the Twins waving the white flag on the next couple of seasons, hoping to reload by the time top prospects Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper are key pieces of the puzzle.