Amid rumblings of teams looking to be plenty active on the trade market this offseason, plenty of attention has been on the Minnesota Twins and the possibility of parting with Byron Buxton, Pablo López or Joe Ryan.
Minnesota became sellers at the trade deadline this year as they parted with 10 players from their Major League roster. Among those traded were Carlos Correa, Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax, Harrison Bader, Louis Varland and Jhoan Duran.
But now as the Twins look to rebound under new manager Derek Shelton, indications are they will attempt to add to their roster rather than flip remaining trade chips.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Twins aren’t expected to trade Buxton, Lopez or Ryan:
The Twins do not anticipate moving center fielder Byron Buxton or right-handers Joe Ryan and Pablo López, according to league sources briefed on their plans. Minnesota’s goal is to keep those players, build around them and compete in 2026.
Given the aforementioned three players are all under tam control for multiple seasons, there figures to be continued interest from other teams, but any potential trade would require a significant return:
Rival clubs interested in Ryan, Buxton and López almost certainly will keep pushing to acquire them, as teams always seek to add high-end players. The Twins will listen, as clubs in their position are obligated to do. But it likely would take an overwhelming offer for any of the three to be traded.
Buxton has three years and $45 million remaining on his current contract, and it includes a full no-trade clause through the 2026 season.
Meanwhile, López has two years and $43 million remaining on his deal. Ryan is under team control through the 2027 season via salary arbitration.
Would Byron Buxton trade make sense for Dodgers?
The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a trade with the Twins to acquire Stewart at the deadline this past season, and presumably would have had some interest if Buxton became available.
The 32-year-old had previously taken a hardline stance on that possibility, but recently had been reported to becoming more amenable to waiving his no-trade clause if the Twins went further in the direction of a rebuild this offseason.
Buxton set career highs during the 2025 season with 35 home runs and 83 RBI en route to earning a second career All-Star Game selection, first Silver Slugger Award and down-ballot votes for American League MVP. The veteran represents the type of high-impact talent the Dodgers covet even if it is accompanied by some injury concern.
The Dodgers have a need in their outfield and there’s been a growing belief that is more likely to be addressed via trade rather than free agency, despite reported interest in Cody Bellinger.
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