The Minnesota Twins are heading toward another deadline sell-off. This time, they have something even better than a rental to offer.
Twins ace Joe Ryan is emerging as one of the most coveted trade targets ahead of the August 3 deadline, per multiple reports this week. The 29-year-old right-hander is in the middle of his best season and has an additional year of club control after this one, which makes him the kind of starting pitcher every contender is willing to pay big for.
Ryan is 3-3 with a career-best 2.94 ERA through his first 12 starts. That ERA is among the top 10 in the American League. His strikeout rate is up, his walk rate is down, and his command of his fastball-changeup combination has been the best of his career. He is pitching like a true No. 2 starter on a contender.
The Twins are 27-30 entering June and are six games out of a wild card spot. They have been a disappointment after a winter that included some modest offseason additions. The front office is going to have to make a decision in the next eight weeks about whether to push in for a wild card run or sell off pieces for prospects.
Ryan plus Bailey Ober plus Ryan Jeffers represent the three most valuable trade chips on the Twins roster. All three could net significant prospect returns. Ryan is the headliner because of his extra year of club control. A team that acquires him is not just getting a rental for the rest of 2026. They are getting a controllable rotation piece for 2027 too.
The Tigers have Tarik Skubal available as the headliner of the deadline market. But Skubal is a true rental who hits free agency at the end of the season. Ryan is the better long-term acquisition for any team that is thinking about 2027 as much as 2026. The price for Ryan is going to reflect that.
What kind of return are we talking about? Probably two top-100 prospects plus a lottery ticket. Maybe more if a bidding war develops. Ryan is the kind of starter who could anchor a contender’s rotation through 2027 and beyond, especially if the acquiring team wants to extend him further after this year.
The likely suitors are the same teams that are circling Skubal. The Dodgers always need pitching. The Yankees are looking at the AL East race and trying to figure out what they need to chase the Red Sox. The Phillies have been in the playoffs for years and are running out of windows. The Mariners need offense more than pitching but would not say no to Ryan.
The Padres are an underdog candidate. They have already made a big move at the deadline this year for Mason Miller. They could push in again for Ryan to anchor a rotation that includes Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. The downside is the prospect cost, which the Padres are running low on after years of aggressive trades.
For the Twins, this is the kind of trade that resets the roster. Trading Ryan gives them multiple top prospects and clears salary. It also tells the fanbase that the team is rebuilding for 2027 and beyond, which is going to be a hard message to sell after years of frustration.
Ryan has handled the trade speculation well. He has not commented publicly on it. He has just kept pitching. That is the right approach for a player whose value can only go up by performing on the mound.
The deadline is in 70 days. Joe Ryan is the most interesting name in baseball right now. Where he ends up is going to define the next 60 days of MLB trade season.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
