The Minnesota Twins were supposed to be sellers at the trade deadline. Joe Ryan was the name everyone circled. A controllable pitcher with upside. A guy who could bring back a haul. That was the narrative about a week ago.
Now? The Twins have won four straight. They’re two games out of first in the AL Central. They’re a half-game behind the Rangers for a wild card spot. And suddenly the front office has a real decision to make.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan laid it out pretty clearly this week. Twins control person Tom Pohlad called himself a ‘go-big-or-go-home guy’ in his introductory press conference. That sounded like a joke when the team was hovering around .500. But the AL Central is so weak right now that .500 actually keeps you in the race.
The White Sox lead the division at just three games over .500. The Guardians are one game over. The Rangers are at .500. Nobody is running away with anything. And the Twins just swept a series to get back in it.
Ryan’s value just got a weird boost
Joe Ryan’s trade stock took an unexpected jump after a stat correction lowered his ERA. That kind of thing doesn’t happen every day. But it matters for a guy who was already seen as a potential centerpiece of a deadline deal.
The bigger issue for Minnesota is whether they should even move him. Passan pointed out that Byron Buxton has made it clear he doesn’t want to leave. That settles some things internally. If Buxton stays, the Twins might pivot toward adding rather than subtracting.
Here’s the thing about selling Ryan now. They don’t have to. He’s under team control. They could move him this winter if the summer push doesn’t work. That gives them flexibility to be buyers at the deadline without sacrificing their long-term plan.
What adding looks like for Minnesota
Passan floated a couple of names that make sense. Griffin Canning is out there — a 30-year-old who came back from Japan with a 2.87 ERA and a seven-pitch mix. That’s not a headline-grabbing move but it’s the kind of reasonable target that fits what the Twins need.
They’ve got Ryan and Taj Bradley at the top of the rotation. What they don’t have is a reliable third starter. In a three-game wild card series, that gap gets exposed fast. Add a solid arm and suddenly the math changes.
The other name to watch is Kevin Gausman. If Toronto decides to unload its impending free agents, Gausman could be available. Passan noted that a playoff rotation of Ryan, Bradley and Gausman would look awfully dangerous in October.
Costs are going to be high this year. Only eight teams are five or more games out of a playoff spot. That means more buyers than sellers, which usually drives prices up. But the Twins have prospect capital. And if they’re serious about competing, this might be the year to use it.
The Twins haven’t been at .500 since late April. But somehow they’re still right there. The division is bad. The wild card chase is wide open. And Joe Ryan might end up being the guy they build around instead of the guy they trade away.
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