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This offseason marks a pivotal moment for the Minnesota Twins. After the Pohlads opted to sell only their debt, the organization is now targeting a payroll below $100 million. If the front office is pushed toward another round of cuts, a full-scale teardown may be the logical next step—and with it, a significant exodus of major-league talent.
MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince recently floated what he calls ridiculous trades, two of which involved the Twins. While hypothetical, they spotlight the type of bold moves a rebuilding Twins team might entertain.
Byron Buxton on the move for Minnesota
No player has more publicly committed to staying in Minnesota than Byron Buxton. Yet the Twins’ apparent willingness to drift into non-competitiveness could push the star out the door. While the Atlanta Braves would make sense for the Georgia native, Castrovince instead proposes a three-team deal that ends with Buxton in Cincinnati, pending his approval of a no-trade clause he has historically guarded closely.
3) The Bux moves here
Reds get: OF Byron Buxton
Astros get: RHP Brady Singer
Twins get: SS Tyson Lewis (Reds’ No. 3 prospect), OF Mason Neville (Reds’ No. 13 prospect), C Walker Janek (Astros’ No. 4 prospect), RHP Cole Hertzler (Astros’ No. 29 prospect)
Buxton declared himself “a Minnesota Twin for life” last summer, though it has been reported that he might reconsider if the teardown we saw at the Trade Deadline continues. (Buxton has a full no-trade clause, complicating any deal. Again, even fake ones.)
Here, to fulfill my duty to trade as many stars as possible, I’m operating on the assumption that the Minnesota rebuild does continue, even though that might not necessarily be the case.
Buxton would be perfect for a Reds team that could use its pitching depth to address a lineup in need. At roughly $15 million each of the next three seasons, he likely fits their payroll in ways the most prominent free-agent bats do not.
Buxton waiving his no-trade clause to go to Cincinnati seems unlikely. He’s coming off the best season of his career and an 11th-place MVP finish. While the Reds are trending upward and make sense as a team looking to add impact talent, it’s hard to imagine Buxton approving that destination.
Houston, meanwhile, needs pitching help, and Singer is a post-hype arm who could benefit from landing in a stronger developmental environment. No matter how you look at it, there are some big-name pieces moving around in this scenario.
The Twins owe Buxton just over $15 million this season, making his contract the second-highest on the roster behind Pablo López. Clearing that salary in exchange for a haul of pre-arbitration talent would certainly appeal to ownership.
The Joe Ryan deal gets done too
At the trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins executed a selloff of epic proportions. They flirted with moving Joe Ryan but ultimately backed away. Still, that can of worms has already been opened, and it’s difficult to put the lid back on. Jarren Duran was part of the talks then and remains part of the equation now.
4) Call it a mini (Minny?) Mookie trade
Dodgers get: OF Jarren Duran
Red Sox get: RHP Joe Ryan
Twins get: OF Zyhir Hope (Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect), LHP Jackson Ferris (Dodgers’ No. 6 prospect), 3B Chase Harlan (Dodgers’ No. 18 prospect), RHP Marcus Phillips (Red Sox’s No. 11 prospect)
Well, if we’re going to design a rebuilding plan for the Twins, we might as well keep going. This trade reunites the three teams that conspired on the dual 2020 deals that ultimately brought Mookie Betts to the Dodgers.
I had this fake trade sketched out prior to Boston’s deal for Sonny Gray – a trade that improved their rotation but still leaves them in need of a Dude behind Garrett Crochet. The Sox get one here in Ryan, who is under control through 2027 and coming off an All-Star season in which he had a 125 ERA+ (25% better than league average) in 171 innings.
Given that control, maybe Duran would appeal to the Twins, but, again, we’re operating under the assumption that they’d be going with a full-scale youth movement here.
The Twins get another bounty of prospects here for what would instantly be one of the strongest systems in the sport.
Short of prospects like Roman Anthony or Marcelo Mayer, the Twins likely have little interest in the Red Sox’s big-league talent. As Castrovince notes, leaning into a rebuild makes sense.
Minnesota’s farm system is already strong, and adding this much prospect talent would easily make it one of the best in baseball. Developing the crop will take time, but this is how you build a new core.
Ultimately, neither of these trades seems likely for Minnesota. That said, the team should be expected to make some controversial moves this offseason, most of which will probably involve players leaving rather than talent coming in.
Mentioned in this article: Byron Buxton Joe Ryan
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