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Insider Says MN Twins Could Create Perfect Offseason…for Competition
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- Insider Says MN Twins Could Create Perfect Offseason…for Competition
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This offseason the Minnesota Twins are at something of a crossroads. They completed a salary dump involving Carlos Correa and they are currently trending towards a payroll at or below $100 million . It remains to be seen if they will reinvest in the team, and ownership seemingly has no current clue .
There's opportunity for the Twins to tear things down even further . Pablo Lopez is the highest salary remaining on the roster, and Joe Ryan will continue to get more expensive as he approaches free agency. Minnesota tried to trade him at the deadline , and there's no doubt that may still be on the table.
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If Derek Falvey is going to let Ryan go, then it's going to make another franchise that much better. Jeff Passan wants to see it.
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Jeff Passan urges Red Sox to complete Joe Ryan trade
At the trade deadline the Minnesota Twins parted out anything with a pulse. Joe Ryan was under the assumption he had been traded after Fox Sports initially reported it as done. It didn't happen, but the Red Sox came close. ESPN insider Jeff Passan now calls that the path to Boston 's perfect offseason.
The perfect transaction: At the trade deadline this past season, the Red Sox believed they were close to landing Joe Ryan, an elite arm who had his best year yet for the Twins in 2025. As long as Red Sox ownership keeps the financial clamps on chief baseball officer Craig Breslow , he'll need to get creative in improving a Red Sox team that's already quite good. Revisiting what he missed at the deadline is the simplest way to do so, and as much as the Twins say they want to win in 2026, they understand: Now is the time to strike and dealing Boston another front-line starter to pair alongside Garrett Crochet is the way to do it. Trade for Minnesota right-hander Joe Ryan.
Minnesota has already generated a relative blueprint for a framework to make this trade. With it being so close to happening in July, Falvey doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. That said, it's clear that the return wasn't where the Twins wanted it to be.
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Craig Breslow pitched three seasons for the MN Twins. Now he could be looking to take one of their best pitchers. The Red Sox may try to dangle outfielder Jarren Duran . The problem is that he's already 29 years old and Minnesota has a plethora of left-handed outfielders.
It's possible that Falvey tries to pry away Roman Anthony , Marcelo Mayer , Kristian Campbell , or Payton Tolle instead. Either way, moving on from Ryan should generate a level of pain for Boston and Minnesota must thread the needle between now and the future.
A Ryan trade waves the white flag for MN Twins
Moving Pablo Lopez would be the way for the Pohlads to shave even more off the bottom line. Moving Ryan represents a path to turn the book on this core and kick the can down the road.
2025 PitchingNinja Sweeper of the Year Award. 🏆
Winner: Joe Ryan
30.5 inches of Horizontal Break 😳 pic.twitter.com/S1TS4IkeXg— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 8, 2025
Lopez is a legitimate frontline starter, but he still carries a sizable contract. Moving on from a relatively cheap contract in Ryan strips the rotation of anything consistent at the top. We watched Bailey Ober flop last season , and the pitching depth wound up being little more than extra bodies capable of standing on the mound.
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Until the back-end of the rotation substantiates itself as viable options for the future, any changes at the top kneecap new manager Derek Shelton from making any substantial headway in the win column. Of course he's dealt with horrible ownership before after being fired by the Pirates .
It's a horrendous sell to fans if both Ryan and Lopez are moved. If the former is though, that's the white flag on the season in and of itself.
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