Story by
MN Twins Superstar Changing His Mind on Possible Trade
- Story by
- MN Twins Superstar Changing His Mind on Possible Trade
Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
There are few mythic figures in Minnesota Twins history. We're talking Kirby Puckett, Harmon Killebrew, Kent Hrbek and Jack Morris. Byron Buxton is not in that conversation yet.
But if the 2012 No. 2 overall draft pick taught us anything this season, it was that he's more than capable of reaching the same heights as the aforementioned MN Twins legends whose names will FAR outlive their physical time in this town.
Advertisement
In 2025 , Buck stepped to the plate a career-high 542 times, batting .264 with 35 home runs, 83 RBI, 97 runs scored, 24 stolen bases — proving to everyone (including himself) that the Platinum Glove winner still has plenty of really good baseball left in him, if he can stay healthy.
Related Headlines
Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Of course, given his injury history, that is FAR from guaranteed. The Twins have stuck by Byron Buxton throughout a career ravaged by a variety of different ailments. In return, he signed a team-friendly long-term deal and (essentially) vowed to never leave .
Byron Buxton changing his commitment status with MN Twins?
In the years since, Buck's game status has wavered but his commitment to Minnesota has not. Even last year at the All-Star Game, when asked by reporters if he would wave his no-trade clause to join a winning team, Byron reiterated his disinterest in leaving the organization that drafted him out of high school over a decade ago.
Advertisement
However, some time to think things over early this offseason may have changed the superstar's way of thinking. Because according to Dan Hayes (The Athletic) Buxton is now warming up to the thought of being traded, if indeed the Pohlads have no interest in winning.
…a major-league source indicated Tuesday that Buxton, who turns 32 next month, wants to play for a winner and may reconsider his stance for certain clubs if the Twins continue breaking up their roster, potentially by trading starting pitchers Joe Ryan or Pablo López.
Rumors that the Minnesota Twins could continue their roster deconstruction — which reached fever pitch at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline — have been running amuck for months, mostly because the team has been so hush hush about its plans for the offseason.
Byron Buxton in the dark just like Minnesota Twins front office
Yesterday, thanks to Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic) , we found out why. It's because team president Derek Falvey doesn't know how much money the Pohlads are going to allow him to spend yet, as they wait for the new minority owners to be approved by the MLB.
Advertisement
If that happens by December, like the Twins hope, then it could save the Minnesota Twins as we currently know them, Buxton included. Unfortunately, we do not know whether or not they will be approved at the Winter Meetings OR if their eventual approval will actually inject any money into the player budget for 2026.
At 31-years-old , not only was 2025 far and away Byron's most productive season individually, but his most important metrics — .878 OPS, 136 OPS+ and 4.9 bWAR — all ranked top 15 in Major League Baseball.
At age 31 we finally got a "mostly" healthy Byron Buxton and I think it went under the radar how good it was
.264/.327/.551
.367 wOBA (Led CF)
5.0 fWAR (3rd in CF)
136 wRC+ (Led CF)
35 HR (2nd in CF)
83 RBI
24 SB
What will the next 3 years of Byron Buxton as a Twin look like!? https://t.co/AYw148tPAp pic.twitter.com/aXn0krmoUg— Baseball Unstitched Podcast (@BaseUnstitched) November 10, 2025
Related: MN Twins Hire Big Name Assistant Coach
If we assume (just for a moment) that Byron Buxton does play another seven or eight relatively healthy seasons (500 AB/YR), he would finish his career with ~1,000 less plate appearances than Kirby Puckett ( 7,831 ).
Advertisement
Puck was a walking tank before that fatal spring morning in 1996, stepping to the dish over 600 times in all but two of his 12 big league seasons. But Buck has already accumulated nearly 3/5 the career bWAR (29.8) of his predecessor, who retired with a 51.1 bWAR .
Buxton's greatness being held back by Pohlads
But there is another elephant in this room that needs to be mentioned. Beyond injuries, Byron Buxton is being held back by the Minnesota Twins' sudden unwillingness to build a decent team around him. Puckett's issues with the Pohlads are well documented .
Still, money was much less of a factor in team-building back then, which allowed Kirby to play on some of the best rosters in MN Twins history. Meanwhile, now that he is finally able to stay healthy, the Twins have shown signs of ripping the roster apart in front of Byron Buxton's eyes.
Though the Twins refuse to say the word "rebuild" even after trading away Carlos Correa in a salary dump in late July, as well as most of their bullpen, opposing GMs clearly sense the club is in a precarious state as Falvey and Co. wade through the murky waters created by ownership's potential cost-cutting measures.
Thus far, he has remained the most loyal star in Minnesota sports history, short of Kevin Garnett. But if the Pohlad family is going to force Falvey to trade Joe Ryan and/or Pablo Lopez , then much like KG, no fan in this town would blame him for doing what we cannot and bailing on an ever-sinking organization.
Advertisement
Related Headlines
