What Could the Boston Red Sox Offer for Joe Ryan?

[TopGunn#22]

GREAT comments Riverbrian !!!  Bloom was brought in to clean up a "Win At All Costs" mess (which proved to be successful since the Red Sox DID win a World Series in 2018) and his first big deal was completely unpopular in trading Betts.  But he's been able to super-charge the pipeline of talent to the major leagues for Boston and I think the Blue Jays and Red Sox are going to be forces to be reckoned with for "a while" in the A.L. East.

It is time for Boston to contend "for real." Not just make the playoffs.  They may need to replace Bregman at 3B, but if they do, they'll just plug in Marcelo Meyer and make a run at Pete Alonso or Naylor to play 1B and be better for it.  This is why Casas seems like a good target for the Twins.  He's not a Gold Glove candidate at 1B but at least he's a guy who primarily plays 1B, as opposed to guys like Miranda, Julien or even Cody Clemens.  And he's got legit 30-HR power if he can stay healthy.

tony&rodney:  You're point about Soderstrom is well taken.  The kid plays a Gold Glove caliber LF and is also above average at 1B.  He'd be a perfect cleanup hitter and a clear defensive upgrade wherever the Twins would play him.  And I agree with your idea that the A's have plenty of hitting, but that they need someone like a Joe Ryan at the top of their rotation to take a clear step forward toward contending in the A.L. West.

Joe Ryan is a tremendous asset.  He will never be more valuable than this off season, especially if the Twins can ignite a bidding war for him.  A lot of this will be determined by a couple of other FA (or soon to be FA) pitchers on the market.  This Twins FO should have clear goals and targets of the players they want to acquire and settle for nothing less.  There is no pressure of a trade deadline to contend with.

If teams won't meet the Twins demands (and they should be demands) the worst case scenario is that they keep Joe Ryan.  I can certainly live with that.  But with all the young arms the Twins need to give opportunities to, it certainly seems like a trade of Joe Ryan is highly likely.  

[tony&rodney]

37 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

If teams won't meet the Twins demands (and they should be demands) the worst case scenario is that they keep Joe Ryan.  I can certainly live with that.  But with all the young arms the Twins need to give opportunities to, it certainly seems like a trade of Joe Ryan is highly likely.  

Exactly. Any trades of a guy like Joe Ryan, even the suggestion, for highly rated lower level players should be ignored. The recent playoffs highlighted absolutely the importance of strong starting pitching for those clubs who strive to play for a World Series trophy. I cannot fathom top teams like Milwaukee or Detroit ceding their places at the table by trading Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta. That would be crazy. No rookie could replace those pitchers.

The Twins are not anywhere near an invitation to the postseason. A recent podcast of national writers discussed that the Twins were likely to fall below the White Sox without numerous changes. No true Twins fan wants Joe Ryan to be traded and there are many who just can't accept the team moving Ryan. However, if one considers that there SHOULD be a few teams that feel they are one good starting pitcher away, Ryan could certainly return players who could quicken the Twins return to relevance.

I have forwarded Tyler Soderstrom as one name. Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of mlbtraderumors posited that Sacramento would benefit from trading Soderstrom for a top pitcher. I believe the Twins might need to add Alan Roden and maybe Charlee Soto to convince the Athletics of a deal. There are other opportunities but they mostly involve prospects or somewhat uncertain players. The Red Sox have bodies. My interest there would begin with Ceddanne Rafaela and demand two more from Arias, Mayer, Tolle, Casas, and Perales. The Tigers should be calling and this is a big ask - Max Clark. There shouldn't be limits on the ask. Teams need to strongly evaluate their windows. Teams that squirm can return to fighting for a Wild Card shot or be happy winning 81 games.

My expectations mirror what TopGunn#22 wrote - demand a good and fair return for Joe Ryan or keep him.

[Chembry]

3 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Exactly. Any trades of a guy like Joe Ryan, even the suggestion, for highly rated lower level players should be ignored. The recent playoffs highlighted absolutely the importance of strong starting pitching for those clubs who strive to play for a World Series trophy. I cannot fathom top teams like Milwaukee or Detroit ceding their places at the table by trading Tarik Skubal or Freddy Peralta. That would be crazy. No rookie could replace those pitchers.

The Twins are not anywhere near an invitation to the postseason. A recent podcast of national writers discussed that the Twins were likely to fall below the White Sox without numerous changes. No true Twins fan wants Joe Ryan to be traded and there are many who just can't accept the team moving Ryan. However, if one considers that there SHOULD be a few teams that feel they are one good starting pitcher away, Ryan could certainly return players who could quicken the Twins return to relevance.

I have forwarded Tyler Soderstrom as one name. Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of mlbtraderumors posited that Sacramento would benefit from trading Soderstrom for a top pitcher. I believe the Twins might need to add Alan Roden and maybe Charlee Soto to convince the Athletics of a deal. There are other opportunities but they mostly involve prospects or somewhat uncertain players. The Red Sox have bodies. My interest there would begin with Ceddanne Rafaela and demand two more from Arias, Mayer, Tolle, Casas, and Perales. The Tigers should be calling and this is a big ask - Max Clark. There shouldn't be limits on the ask. Teams need to strongly evaluate their windows. Teams that squirm can return to fighting for a Wild Card shot or be happy winning 81 games.

My expectations mirror what TopGunn#22 wrote - demand a good and fair return for Joe Ryan or keep him.

I agree with everything you stated.  I listened to the same podcast where MLBTR folks talked about trading Tyler Soderstrom.  They also mentioned Shea Langeliers as a potential trade chip, although, Soderstrom would be preferable.  

The Tigers would be crazy to trade Skubal, but it's unlikely they will agree on an extension before he hits the FA market.  I read recently that if, and it's a big if, Skubal becomes available, the Mariners would make a big push for Skubal.  Buster Olney reported that the Mariners would be the expected suitor for Skubal.  That surprises me because the Mariners rotation is all under team control through at least 2027.  

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/mlb/seattle-mariners/should-the-mariners-go-all-in-on-trade-for-ace-skubal/1828033

Nevertheless, I wonder if that is specific to Skubal or if the Mariners would entertain a trade for Ryan.  Based on the proposed trades for 1 year of Skubal, I don't think it would be out of line asking for Colt Emerson and Harry Ford for Ryan with 2 years of control. 

Seattle is expecting to bring back Naylor and also make a push for Suarez.  They have ~$35M to spend and that lines up well with both Naylor and Suarez potential projected contracts.  That would ease the burden on the need for Emerson.  

Regardless, as you mention, the Twins need to talk to every team and get the very best possible return.    

[The Great Hambino]

31 minutes ago, Chembry said:

I agree with everything you stated.  I listened to the same podcast where MLBTR folks talked about trading Tyler Soderstrom.  They also mentioned Shea Langeliers as a potential trade chip, although, Soderstrom would be preferable.  

The Tigers would be crazy to trade Skubal, but it's unlikely they will agree on an extension before he hits the FA market.  I read recently that if, and it's a big if, Skubal becomes available, the Mariners would make a big push for Skubal.  Buster Olney reported that the Mariners would be the expected suitor for Skubal.  That surprises me because the Mariners rotation is all under team control through at least 2027.  

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/mlb/seattle-mariners/should-the-mariners-go-all-in-on-trade-for-ace-skubal/1828033

Nevertheless, I wonder if that is specific to Skubal or if the Mariners would entertain a trade for Ryan.  Based on the proposed trades for 1 year of Skubal, I don't think it would be out of line asking for Colt Emerson and Harry Ford for Ryan with 2 years of control. 

Seattle is expecting to bring back Naylor and also make a push for Suarez.  They have ~$35M to spend and that lines up well with both Naylor and Suarez potential projected contracts.  That would ease the burden on the need for Emerson.  

Regardless, as you mention, the Twins need to talk to every team and get the very best possible return.    

As an extension to the Tigers/Skubal situation, I wonder if there's a world where the Tigers could trade Skubal and turn around and trade for Ryan.  Ryan isn't Skubal, but it could be a way for them to thread the needle of remaining competitive in their open window while not allowing Skubal out the door for only a comp pick in return.  I don't know exactly how much the extra year of control Ryan carries would translate for value purpoeses, but the Tigers probably net out positively in terms of prospects in that kind of sequence of events.

If Skubal is made available, then lots of teams will be interested.  Only one of them will get him though, and all those other teams plus the Tigers could potentially turn their interest toward Ryan

[tony&rodney]

The only reason to trade Joe Ryan is because there is about 1,000 - 1 odds against the Twins winning their division. I'm a Twins fan, pick them to win too many times, and even I must be realistic. If the rebuild goes perfectly, the Twins are competitive in 2028. Joe Ryan will be with a new team at that time.

The Tigers have a good team now and they should improve next year. The Tigers  suffered among the most of any team in baseball from injuries last year and their fortunes are bound to be much better in 2026. The guy to front their rotation and lead them is Tarik Skubal. Take him away and the team falls back into a scramble with Cleveland and Kansas City. It would be monumentally a mistake to put the Tigers back into a rebuilding at this time. Detroit should be trading for Joe Ryan not considering trading Tarik Skubal. 

Think of it this way. If the Twins were the AL Central leaders with a young, deep, athletic team that needed one guy or maybe two to make them favorites to compete for an AL title, would you trade for Tarik Skubal and the chance to win it all? The cost could be something like Walker Jenkins, Connor Prielipp, Kaelen Culpepper, and another player. If your Twins already had a shortstop, good outfielders, and were pretty deep in pitching, does it make a difference to offer up a huge pile for Skubal? That is the situation for the Tigers. A Joe Ryan can elevate them. Trading Skubal would bring a load of prospects but they wouldn't be ready and the window would pass for a few years. The Twins didn't do what they needed to do in 2023 and now they must reboot and build for a couple of years.

Crap, that was convoluted. Sorry, but you should understand the difference between Detroit and the Twins.