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MN Twins Fan Favorite Preparing to be Traded?
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- MN Twins Fan Favorite Preparing to be Traded?
Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
At 67-89 , the 2025 Minnesota Twins are about to barrell passed 90 losses for the first time since 2016. Their failures this season resulted in an insane selloff at the MLB Trade Deadline and the worst attendance numbers at Target Field in a quarter-century.
And now, reporters covering the team are bracing for more of the same this offseason. What else should we expect out of a Pohlad ownership group that's been on a mission to cut expenses since they announced a $30 million payroll cut, following the 2023 season, which produced their deepest playoff run since the early 2000s.
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Shortly after the roster deconstruction this summer, Joe Pohlad & Co. pulled the "For Sale" sign from Target Field , meaning he and his penny-pinching family members will remain in control of the Minnesota Twins for the foreseeable future.
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Royce Lewis opens up about fear that MN Twins may trade him
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Not only does that have the fans feeling extremely uneasy about the organization's future, but the players in the clubhouse too. At this point, no player can feel safe. Even guys like Royce Lewis, who two years ago was untouchable. Minnesota's 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick has never been afraid to speak his mind to media.
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This week, he cut open a vein on his offseason mentality in an interview with MLB.com's Matt Leach . In the lengthy piece, Lewis tells the MLB insider that he's bracing for a career-altering phone call at some point this offseason, and that he's treating every at-bat with the MN Twins as if it may be his last.
"It was a good one. You never know if it's going to be your last at-bat here [as a Twin] or what. You never know. I just wanted to enjoy it."
"It has [crossed my mind I could be traded], but we don't know what direction [the front office will go]. I can't control anything. I'm just here and enjoying my time with my teammates and the guys here.
Because I grew up playing with all these guys, so [being traded] would be a weird situation. It would almost be like, I grew up with one family then all of a sudden, 'Hey, I'm going to college.'"
In 2025, Royce Lewis reached 100 games played in a single-season for the first time of his four-year MLB career. While his .241/.289/.399 line is not pretty, it looks better when you realize that he slashed .216/.281/.302 prior to the All-Star Break .
If the Twins look to continue their talent teardown this offseason, like most expect, he will be one of the more intriguing talents for potential trade partners to consider. Not only is Lewis a former No. 1 pick with a ton of untapped talent, but his stock is down right now.
Potential trade partners salivating over Royce Lewis?
That could make him one of the more attractive "on sale" items available, if indeed our Pohlad penny-pinching fears are realized this offseason. Because the Twins no longer have a bullpen to speak of. And outside of starting pitchers, Lewis is the most talented player for teams to chase, if seeking an impact stick for their infield.
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In the right situation, there's little doubt Royce would return to the phenom he was on pace to be, prior to the 2024 season. In 2023, Lewis owned a 149 OPS+ in 58 games. He hasn't been that guy for some time, but the 26-year-old still shows plenty of flashes that he still could be.
ROYCE LEWIS GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/hevjXt4LTp
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) August 23, 2025
Lewis made just $1.63 million this season , as a first-year arbitration-eligible player. Even with a 91 OPS+, he should get close to double that in arbitration next season. The Twins third baseman has made substantial strides defensively, and his offense improved exponentially in the second half of the season.
If the Minnesota Twins trade Royce Lewis and he returns to anything resembling the blossoming superstar he was just two years ago, it could go down next to the David Ortiz release as one of the worst front office decision in franchise history.
Lewis says he returned to Minnesota Twins lineup too soon
Royce Lewis also revealed in his interview with MLB.com that, after suffering a hamstring injury during Spring Training, he returned to play sooner than his body was ready. Lewis' first game of the season was a May contest against Baltimore .
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At the time, Minnesota was 15-20 . Shortly after his return, the Twins temporarily saved their season with a 13-game winning streak that vaulted them back into early wildcard contention. Even that early, players were already sensing where the front office was going, if the season went south… which it eventually did.
"I came back way too early trying to make a push with the guys we had because we knew what the fortune was if we kept losing. Then ultimately we ended up trading away [10] guys. Once that happened at the Deadline, I was really bummed that I just came back a little too soon. My body wasn't necessarily fully trusting…my mind, my body were off. So it sets you back, and then you have 75 at-bats where it's kind of building up Spring Training timing again."
Hopefully Lewis can finish the final week strong and have a normal offseason. Ideally, he will have no setbacks during the winter, as he prepares for a 2026 regular season that may or may not be played in a Minnesota Twins uniform.
Trading a fan-favorite and budding superstar when his stock is down would be one of the riskier decisions this team could make over the next few months. Then again, it's only risky if the goal is to win baseball games. And the Pohlads have proven time and time again that is nowhere near the top of their priority list.
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