Byron Buxton Makes It Clear: No More Rebuilds in Minnesota

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Byron Buxton has been through a lot in a Minnesota Twins uniform. He has battled injuries, endured three different roster teardowns, and watched the team move on from its cornerstone players. Now, as he approaches his age-32 season, he’s drawing a line in the sand: he doesn’t want to be part of another rebuild.

“I Ain’t Treading Water”
Speaking with the Pioneer Press, Buxton didn’t mince words about his expectations for the organization. “I ain’t treading water,” Buxton said. “I won’t do that. It’s all about winning for me. I ain’t a person who’s going to be walking on my toes or anything like that to satisfy anybody. I want to win.”

That kind of honesty isn’t surprising for a player who’s never been shy about how much he wants to bring a championship to Minnesota. But his comments also highlight an important reality: the Twins can’t afford to go back into a long-term reset mode with their best player locked in through 2028.

Buxton Isn’t Going Anywhere
When Buxton signed his seven-year, $100 million extension ahead of the 2022 season, the deal came with a no-trade clause. That means the Twins can’t simply move him if the front office decides a reset is the best course of action. He’s made it clear he wants to be a Twin for life, and he’s dug in.

This message puts even more pressure on Derek Falvey and Jeremy Zoll. If Buxton’s voice matters in the clubhouse, and it does, then pivoting to another rebuild risks creating a divide between leadership and the roster.

Pointing Fingers, But Owning Responsibility
Interestingly, Buxton didn’t just aim his frustration at the front office. He also held the players accountable.

“We didn’t win very many games last month,” he admitted. “How many was it? Six, seven? Eleven? It’s not enough. We had a chance to control our destiny last year, and as a team, we just didn’t play well enough.”

That combination of calling out the front office for not adding talent while also acknowledging the players’ own failures underscores Buxton’s leadership. The Twins' pitching staff didn’t live up to preseason expectations, and the offense has struggled since the team collapsed in the second half of 2024. He isn’t pointing fingers without looking in the mirror.

The Sonny Gray Ripple Effect
Buxton also addressed the recent comments from Joe Ryan, who said letting Sonny Gray walk in free agency was the “biggest mistake” the current front office has made.

“I don’t know if it’s the biggest mistake, but I do know that I’ve been here for long enough, so I’ve seen a lot of things,” Buxton said. “If this is what you call a rebuild, this will be my third one since I’ve been here. So, if you want to talk about mistakes, I saw a lot of mistakes leading up to now.”

It’s not hard to connect the dots. The Twins went from a playoff team in 2023 to a franchise in turmoil in 2025, and the lack of offseason additions since Gray’s departure has been glaring. The front office’s lack of moves is tied directly to the ownership’s directive to cut payroll by $30 million. However, the team had the pieces to compete in the AL Central over the last two seasons, and it has played out horribly. 

A Winter of Reckoning
Buxton’s words should reverberate through the front office. The Twins can’t afford another quiet winter. Fans won’t tolerate it, and neither will their franchise cornerstone.

“That’s what it’s going to take,” Buxton said, referring to trades and free-agent additions. “Not many teams in baseball don’t do something in the offseason anymore. Every team does something.”

For an organization that traded away 11 players at this year’s deadline, there’s no doubt holes to fill. If the Twins want to avoid losing their star’s trust, not to mention further alienating their fanbase, they’ll need to prove they’re serious about competing in 2026.

Buxton’s message is simple: he’s here to win, and he’s not leaving. The Twins front office has a choice. They can either back up their words about building a contender or risk alienating the player who has been the face of the franchise for a decade.

The next few months will define the direction of this organization. If Falvey and Zoll don’t take action, the Twins won’t just be treading water because they might be sinking.

Do you agree with Buxton’s message? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

View full article

[spanman2]

Resigning Sonny after '23 would have been one of those moves from the front office to show the players in the clubhouse and fans that they were serious about being competitive moving forward,  Yes, other moves would have likely been necessary as well.  My guess is attendance would have been where the powers that be would have liked to seen it be last season.  Players didn't perform down the stretch last season and they need to own that.  If they had Gray it would be great to see a rotation of Gray, Lopez or Lopez Gray along with Ryan and Ober as your top four.  No doubt this offseason will be pivotal.  Time will tell.  

[thelanges5]

Good on Buck and Joe speaking out. The owners and FO have not shared any plans or vision. In the absence of that communication players, media, fans are going to fill in the gaps. These guys have the ability to control the narrative, but have said nothing. 

[farmerguychris]

I'm glad he's holding the owners accountable.  I'm afraid they won't care what he thinks, but I respect that he stood up to say what he's thinking.  

[LA Vikes Fan]

This is good to hear. Buxton is in a unique spot to speak out with with his no trade clause and commitment to staying. I really wonder if the front office will have the ability to make moves this offseason. The new investment should free up the cash flow to increase payroll. Let's see if they use it. 

[NYCTK]

If he wanted to win, he would have left in July. He doesn't care about winning, and that's fine. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

This offseason will be interesting. Still curious on who the mystery people are that came into the ownership group. But this offseason CAN'T be just trading Larnach for anything and signing a couple of minor league deals to free agents. It doesn't mean they have to have an enormous payroll, but they need a few relievers and a couple of bats at minimum. 

[djvang]

He's begging to be traded. Can't blame him.

[Doctor Gast]

Like Buxton said, he has been around. He has seen a lot of mistakes. He knows Falvey. IMO, Buck is saying no matter how miserably others fail. He will continue to do his part to try to jump-start this team to win games. He's all about winning. Once in a while, a player falls into Falvey's lap, but the majority of the time & especially recently, Falvey has failed to encourage the core who want to win by trading for someone significant to fill the holes. Nothing will change & will only get worse. Falvey has placed a shotgun to the team & riddled it full of holes that he cannot begin to plug easily. Nothing will change until you make a real change. Will Buck want to be traded if nothing changes? I don't think so, but I wouldn't blame him.

[Doctor Gast]

Why are they keeping those minority owners such a secret? If they are about change, it can't come soon enough.

[BillyBallLives]

Buck won’t tread?

 Twins will either trade him or hand him a floatie to survive the cesspool he’s swimming in.

 

[jkcarew]

It’s about time he (Buxton) said something.

[nicksaviking]

It would be great if he keeps publicly calling out the team to spend and compete. With his no trade clause, he absolutely can hammer away at ownership and make things uncomfortable for them.

Even if nothing comes from it, it would be cathartic for the fans having the face of the team fight against the deceitful owners. It never seems to happen in pro sports, but this specific situation isn't very common. Fingers crossed for more vocal fireworks.

[The Great Hambino]

It's good to hear this from Buck, but I'm afraid it might not have the effect on ownership we'd like to see.

Do they see this as a sign that moving Buck's contract is back on the table if they just continue to not try?  Keep tanking and he'll waive it? With the way this family operates, I can't rule it out.

Just to be clear, I don't want that and don't think they should do that.  His contract isn't even that expensive - per year, it's well below the qualifying offer at this point.  That's nothing in MLB free agency terms.  But I no longer trust the Pohlads to take any course of action other than the worst one possible for fans until they prove otherwise.

[insagt1]

Buxton will break his no-trade clause if things don't improve. 

Why would he stay and be miserable. However, he also has to be able to overcome his injury history. He won't be much of a big deal if he plays less than 100 games each season. so there's that.

But right now the team is a mess. It has no bullpen and the 'core' players are mailing it in for the most part. I always compare them with my other favorite team, also going nowhere this season...the Orioles. At least they are winning and having some fun with these no-pressure games. And the good it does is to at least get a glimpse of who will help them in 2026 and who won't. O's may end up with the highest winning % of any of the last place teams, not that its all that significant. But winning is always more fun, no matter where you sit.

[D.C Twins]

Well Buck is clearly starting to rethink things. 

Players are usually publicly critical of leadership when they have decided it is time or nearly time to go.

Joe Ryan is clearly signaling that he wants out.

I think these comments by Buck ('lots of mistakes'!) are the beginning of his end here. 

He is going to make leadership/ownership miserable (as he should) paving the way to eventually be traded one of a select few team on his list.

Honestly, it's probably right for the Twins given their current timelines 

What a S- Show...

[DJL44]

They have the payroll space available to add the players they need to compete. There is no reason they have to wait until 2028.

[NYCTK]

16 minutes ago, insagt1 said:

Buxton will break his no-trade clause if things don't improve. 

If he didn't waive it this year, he's never going to. This was the perfect chance for him to get traded to, and be a key figure on, a World Series contender (or the Mets) yet he firmly rejected any chance of that happening. 

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, thelanges5 said:

Good on Buck and Joe speaking out. The owners and FO have not shared any plans or vision. In the absence of that communication players, media, fans are going to fill in the gaps. These guys have the ability to control the narrative, but have said nothing. 

What is the front office supposed to communicate (or any other business not selling stock) about their plans? What franchises lay out in one season “what the off-season plan is” for the business/franchise? None, or awfully few, from my viewpoint.

If there are still crickets in December…….let em have it!!! Until then, they need time to sort things and target specific guys to try and trade for, or sign as FA’s. Pro sports teams don’t expose plans - targeted players - it just isn’t done. Can’t say “we’re going to spend $45M in free agency” ……. agents will eat that up & leverage disappears.

They may or may not do well nor what the “fans want”? We’ll see. Deciding they should tell all, in September, doesn’t make sense!

From my point of view, again here at TD, the group that threw in $400M have to have some caveats attached to their cash infusion!! STATUS QUO ……..on roster, spending, marketing………isn’t in the cards.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

5 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

What is the front office supposed to communicate (or any other business not selling stock) about their plans? What franchises lay out in one season “what the off-season plan is” for the business/franchise? None, or awfully few, from my viewpoint.

If there are still crickets in December…….let em have it!!! Until then, they need time to sort things and target specific guys to try and trade for, or sign as FA’s. Pro sports teams don’t expose plans - targeted players - it just isn’t done. Can’t say “we’re going to spend $45M in free agency” ……. agents will eat that up & leverage disappears.

They may or may not do well nor what the “fans want”? We’ll see. Deciding they should tell all, in September, doesn’t make sense!

From my point of view, again here at TD, the group that threw in $400M have to have some caveats attached to their cash infusion!! STATUS QUO ……..on roster, spending, marketing………isn’t in the cards.

I hope you're right on the lack of a status quo going forward.  I'm also glad to see that Ryan and Buxton have stood up and are commanding a little attention.  

No, teams don't (and aren't ready to) discuss specifics with anybody prior to the offseason, but some semblance of reassuring key players like Buxton and Ryan would seem to be in order.  I don't think he said, "you need to get Mike Trout in here", but he is rightfully frustrated by what he has seen over the past years.  Reassuring the fans would also be very nice, but the minimum is keeping the players on your team, on your team.   

Buckle your seatbelts folks.  It's going to be even worse before it gets better -- and anything resembling good is farther away than people are thinking. 

[USAFChief]

Adios, Byron 

[ashbury]

He remains my favorite current Twin and this bit of straight talk is an example why.

[ashbury]

8 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Adios, Byron 

Adios somebody, maybe.  This plot could be about to thicken.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

Adios somebody, maybe.  This plot could be about to thicken.

Could be, but remember, billionaires are so wealthy that they don't need to care what their employees, mere millionaires, desire.  In essence, they have made themselves immune to criticism.  I'm not saying the Pohlads don't care, but the Pohlads don't care. 

If they want to have a good baseball team with good players on it, wanting to succeed, it would be a really good idea for the Pohlads to do some damage control and NOW. 

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

If he wanted to win, he would have left in July. He doesn't care about winning, and that's fine. 

Possibly the worst hawt taek I've seen in a month, and I'll leave it at that.

[NYCTK]

Just now, ashbury said:

Possibly the worst take I've seen in a month, and I'll leave it at that.

Actions speak louder than words. He was asked if he wanted to move to a winning team just 6 weeks ago, and he said no. Clearly he doesn't value winning more than loyalty to the Twins (which I hope is minimal), stability, or sticking around Minnesota, and honestly, there's nothing wrong with that. 

Him NOW saying he wants to win is just newspaper fodder. 

[goulik]

2 hours ago, spanman2 said:

Resigning Sonny after '23 would have been one of those moves from the front office to show the players in the clubhouse and fans that they were serious about being competitive moving forward,  Yes, other moves would have likely been necessary as well.  My guess is attendance would have been where the powers that be would have liked to seen it be last season.  Players didn't perform down the stretch last season and they need to own that.  If they had Gray it would be great to see a rotation of Gray, Lopez or Lopez Gray along with Ryan and Ober as your top four.  No doubt this offseason will be pivotal.  Time will tell.  

Couldn't disagree more about Sonny. They needed to reinvest that into a place of need like a right handed outfield bat or an actual first baseman that can hit like, oh, a first baseman but Sonny would not have prevented last years collapse nor improved this years performance. Letting him walk to collect a first round draft choice was the right choice. Cutting 30 million in payroll causing fan moral and team income to drop by about 30 million was the mistake.

[GNess]

Buxton would have leverage if the Twins' leadership was acting at all like they care about winning, but it doesn't appear they do. I applaud Buxton for speaking up and not just accepting the miserable status quo that envelops the Twins.

The Twins are in a self-imposed free fall. It's a mess that only intelligent, assertive, focused moves to improve the team's chances will be able to turn things around in the next year or two. I don't see there being much of a possibility given the silence coming from the FO. Sadly, Buxton will likely be traded when he accepts he can't really change the dynamic drowning the Twins - he would be wise to accept a trade to a real contending centered organization.

Meanwhile, the Twins will eventually admit through their actions that yes a massive "rebuild" is in process, market the young stars of the future, slash payroll and field teams without much chance of success.

I really despise being this grim, but I just can't see any real silver linings in this situation.

[karcherd]

46 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

What is the front office supposed to communicate (or any other business not selling stock) about their plans? What franchises lay out in one season “what the off-season plan is” for the business/franchise? None, or awfully few, from my viewpoint.

If there are still crickets in December…….let em have it!!! Until then, they need time to sort things and target specific guys to try and trade for, or sign as FA’s. Pro sports teams don’t expose plans - targeted players - it just isn’t done. Can’t say “we’re going to spend $45M in free agency” ……. agents will eat that up & leverage disappears.

They may or may not do well nor what the “fans want”? We’ll see. Deciding they should tell all, in September, doesn’t make sense!

From my point of view, again here at TD, the group that threw in $400M have to have some caveats attached to their cash infusion!! STATUS QUO ……..on roster, spending, marketing………isn’t in the cards.

The front office is saying a lot right now and they will need to prove with their transactions that they are going to change course.  This front office believes they have an elite development process and can fix all wayward misfits.  They have filled the bullpen with a bunch of stopgap veterans that have no chance of pitching for a winning team.  They are not being aggressive in calling up any prospects to see what they may have either on the position side or pitching.  Instead they continue to roll out Clemens, Outman and Gasper and a bunch of stiff pitchers  on a regular basis.  These guys may be liked in the locker room but the players know who will help them win and these guys won't.

[LastOnePicked]

With these comments, Buxton is on a collision course with himself. He's recently boasted about his no-trade clause and being a Twin for life. Now he's talking about prioritizing winning and that he won't tolerate a lost season. Was he not paying attention since the "right-sizing" movement began two years ago? Buck, this isn't a winning organization. If you want out, you better tell Falvey right now. Because this is a 100 loss team in 2026, with or without you.