Passan: Buxton Willing To Waive No-Trade Clause

[Matthew Lenz]

The Minnesota Twins have gotten off to an unsurprisingly slow start in the offseason. To this point, their most notable move is tendering a contract to Trevor Larnach, who many thought might be non-tendered. However, this morning, Jeff Passan of ESPN ignited the burner on the hot stove with an update on Byron Buxton.

In ranking the players who could be traded, Passan ranked Buxton as the fifth-best player behind Tarik Skubal, Ketel Marte, Freddy Peralta, and Hunter Green. Passan added, "Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade clause - and not just for Atlanta..." To this point, Buxton has not stated anything publicly to confirm or deny this report.

If it's true, this is a notable shift in Buxton's mindset, who, on multiple occasions, has said he wants to stay with the Twins. However, at the back end of his prime and with the state of the organization, it's hard to blame him for the change.

Buxton, coming off a career year, played in 126 games in 2025. He finished with 35 home runs, 97 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases. He posted an impressive .878 OPS, a .367 wOBA, and a 135 wRC+. Defensively, Buxton is starting to slow down in center field with -5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and +3 Outs Above Average (OAA). 

Do you think the Twins should trade Buxton? Let us know in the comments!

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[DJL44]

The Dodgers and Phillies will definitely have interest.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I would not prefer this no

[Riverbrian]

No

Buxton should retire a Twin!

He should take on a role with the organization after he retires if he chooses. 

#25 should be placed between #14 Hrbek and #28 Blyleven.

He should have a statue built in the plaza

His children Brix, Blaze and Baire should grow up in Minnesota and proudly walk by Dad's statue every time they go to a game. 

He's one of us. 

That is what should happen.  

The statue should be rounding 2nd doing the Buck Truck thing.  

[Vanimal46]

Whelp. Brace for impact. Buxton is out. You don’t just casually announce news like this. 

[SteveLV]

Depends on the deal.

He is our best player (not saying that much), but he is frequently injured as is VALUABLE.  His contract is modest and he gives another team great value.

I mentioned last night that a package of Buxton and Ryan/Lopez to the Mets should garner a huge young talent transfer to the Twins (and save our beloved owners a ton of $).

Personally, I love watching him play but if they are going to tear it down, let's do it.

[DJL44]

This is a straight-up no confidence vote from Byron Buxton. He doesn't believe Falvey can build a contender in the time he has left on his contract. I think he's probably correct in that assessment.

[Riverbrian]

3 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Whelp. Brace for impact. Buxton is out. You don’t just casually announce news like this. 

They casually announce news like this all the time because it isn't news yet.

In the article... Passan ranks Buxton as the 5th best trade consideration. Skubal #1

He also places the chances of the Twins trading Buxton at 35%.  

He places the chances of #1 Skubal being traded at 10%.

#5

35%

10%

Are all numbers made up by Passan. 

[Vanimal46]

8 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

They casually announce news like this all the time because it isn't news yet.

In the article... Passan ranks Buxton as the 5th best trade consideration. Skubal #1

He also places the chances of the Twins trading Buxton at 35%.  

He places the chances of #1 Skubal being traded at 10%.

#5

35%

10%

Are all numbers made up by Passan. 

Passan wouldn’t say Buxton is willing to waive his no trade clause for more than 1 team without confirming it in the background. But I get it. You’re in denial. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

5 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Passan wouldn’t say Buxton is willing to waive his no trade clause for more than 1 team without confirming it in the background. But I get it. You’re in denial. 

I mean, maybe? This also feels like a jump to conclusions mat. Still have to see what takes place no?

[Riverbrian]

Just now, Vanimal46 said:

Passan wouldn’t say Buxton is willing to waive his no trade clause for more than 1 team without confirming it in the background. But I get it. You’re in denial. 

Dan Hayes stated that Buxton may be willing to waive his no trade clause back in November 12th. 

We all know the possibility is out there if he's willing to waive it and apparently he is if Hayes and Passan both are hearing this from Byron's agent or Byron himself.      

That's puts him on a list of possible trade candidates that Passan then ranks based on his personal ranking of talent. 

What am I denying? That Passan's 35% means 100%? 

  

[Vanimal46]

1 minute ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I mean, maybe? This also feels like a jump to conclusions mat. Still have to see what takes place no?

Sure, but the way Passan wrote it makes me believe he's in the know of something in the works. He wrote it as a declarative statement "Buxton is willing to waive his no trade clause -- and not just for Atlanta." If he was simply speculating, he would write it as a question... "Would Buxton be willing to waive his no trade clause for Atlanta or other teams?"

[Vanimal46]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Dan Hayes stated that Buxton may be willing to waive his no trade clause back in November 12th.

And today Passan, the most plugged in guy, declaratively said Buxton is willing to waive it for Atlanta (specifics!) and other teams. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Sure, but the way Passan wrote it makes me believe he's in the know of something in the works. He wrote it as a declarative statement "Buxton is willing to waive his no trade clause -- and not just for Atlanta." If he was simply speculating, he would write it as a question... "Would Buxton be willing to waive his no trade clause for Atlanta or other teams?"

I don't know. Maybe something happens, and maybe it doesn't. Clicks and rumors are fun aren't they?

[tony&rodney]

Put yourself in Buxton's shoes. How excited are you to play another season with the Twins? At some point, for almost every major league athlete, one begins to crave a role on a team that is competitive. That ship sailed when the Twins failed to properly evaluate their roster and make proactive moves following the 2023 season. Buxton is the only Twins position player that has proven they can play at the MLB level. The rest of the team is pretty much speculative or hopeful of being average. I would be surprised if Byron has not had conversations with his family about this matter.

Passan may have heard something from someone but I doubt Buxton talked with him. Baseball has a protracted offseason and transactions are drawn out across the entire time. Thus writers, bloggers, and the like need to create material.

Naturally every Twins fan wants Buxton to remain a Minnesota Twin and have even better seasons each of the next three years. If you were Byron Buxton where would you want to play? 

A request by Byron to the Twins to trade him this offseason would rattle the front office. The main brains have been totally adverse to change. A Buxton trade would almost certainly necessitate further moves ..... except for the stubborn stance by someone. Maybe this is where the Pohlads can help the fans.

[bunsen82]

49 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Whelp. Brace for impact. Buxton is out. You don’t just casually announce news like this. 

This isn't casually being announced,  its Passan and who knows how good the sources are.   Is it a team that wants to trade for him.  

Honestly,  if someone wants to pay top dollar for Buxton I take that trade if Buxton is waiving his no trade clause.  Then you have the issue if he actually wants to be traded.  This is the most value Buxton has had since early in his career.   Roster construction is going to be an absolute mess.   

Do we truly burn it all down?  Pablo, Ryan, and Buxton - trade them all.    I thought they wanted to compete.  You trade those players you are throwing in the towel.   

[Riverbrian]

42 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

And today Passan, the most plugged in guy, declaratively said Buxton is willing to waive it for Atlanta (specifics!) and other teams. 

I read that. The exact wording of the sentence. Buxton is willing to waive his no-trade clause -- and not just for Atlanta (he's a Georgia native)

It was placed in an article co-authored by Kiley McDaniel ranking the best players POSSIBLY available for trade. The odds by either Passan, McDaniel or both are listed at 35%. Which states that Passan, McDaniel or both would not bet the house on it. 

From that sentence. The internet will explode with other people taking this sentence and turning it into... Buxton is on Zillow right now. 

I'm denying what? 

[DJL44]

16 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

A Buxton trade would almost certainly necessitate further moves 

It would force moves of Ryan, Lopez, Jeffers and Larnach at a minimum. Bailey Ober and Royce Lewis would be the two highest paid players remaining as the payroll heads below $50M. Actually - Carlos Correa would be the highest paid player on the team since they're paying him $11.3M to play for Houston. The Pohlads should easily clear $100M in profit if that happens.

[tony&rodney]

5 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

I thought they wanted to compete.  You trade those players you are throwing in the towel.   

The current roster will only compete with the Chicago White Sox. Years of sitting out the offseason, more or less, and the struggles of development has left the team with an unbalanced roster. The pitching staff is fine. Who is going to hit or catch the ball? There are opportunities to improve. We can only hope.

[Cory Engelhardt]

6 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

It would force moves of Ryan, Lopez, Jeffers and Larnach at a minimum. Bailey Ober and Royce Lewis would be the two highest paid players remaining as the payroll heads below $50M. Actually - Carlos Correa would be the highest paid player on the team since they're paying him $11.3M to play for Houston. The Pohlads should easily clear $100M in profit if that happens.

Larnach regardless no?

[Mike Sixel]

Less than ideal.

[howeda7]

1 hour ago, bunsen82 said:

This isn't casually being announced,  its Passan and who knows how good the sources are.   Is it a team that wants to trade for him.  

Honestly,  if someone wants to pay top dollar for Buxton I take that trade if Buxton is waiving his no trade clause.  Then you have the issue if he actually wants to be traded.  This is the most value Buxton has had since early in his career.   Roster construction is going to be an absolute mess.   

Do we truly burn it all down?  Pablo, Ryan, and Buxton - trade them all.    I thought they wanted to compete.  You trade those players you are throwing in the towel.   

If you are trading one of those 3, you might as well trade them all and have a $60 million payroll I guess. 

[farmerguychris]

I HATE this.  But, I expect this is music to the Pohlads ears.  Another way to save money and get cheap replacements who may never pan out to be half as good as Buck.

Sounds like a great way to alienate a generation of fans who are just starting to get into baseball back in 2023, and even those of us who have been around and supporting the team for decades.

Money over everything else.

And no, I don't blame Buxton if this is true.  How can I expect him to want to play for this team when as a fan with no skin in the game can barely want to watch this team - especially if he were playing for someone else.

Sickening.

[nicksaviking]

2 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

Passan wouldn’t say Buxton is willing to waive his no trade clause for more than 1 team without confirming it in the background. But I get it. You’re in denial. 

Even if Buxton actually wants to get traded, that doesn't mean the Twins actually want to trade him. I know everyone dislikes the Pohlad's as much as I do, but I don't think they will, or will be allowed to run a payroll south of 100M. 

Plus, he's possibly the only player on the team that actually puts fans in the seats.

[Whitey333]

Not a surprise at all.  Buxton has played 2 "full" seasons out of like 10 or 11 years.  He's been very dedicated and worked his butt off.  I think the Twins owe him the opportunity to play for a contender at this stage of his career.  His remaining 3 years on his contract pay him 15 mil per year for a total of 45 mil.  Most teams have no issue with that.  If that is what Buxton wants I think the Twins should accommodate him.  

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, SteveLV said:

Depends on the deal.

He is our best player (not saying that much), but he is frequently injured as is VALUABLE.  His contract is modest and he gives another team great value.

I mentioned last night that a package of Buxton and Ryan/Lopez to the Mets should garner a huge young talent transfer to the Twins (and save our beloved owners a ton of $).

Personally, I love watching him play but if they are going to tear it down, let's do it.

In MLB today Buxton's contract is found couch cushion money.  It's peanuts.  A rounding error.  Nothing.

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, SteveLV said:

Depends on the deal.

He is our best player (not saying that much), but he is frequently injured as is VALUABLE.  His contract is modest and he gives another team great value.

I mentioned last night that a package of Buxton and Ryan/Lopez to the Mets should garner a huge young talent transfer to the Twins (and save our beloved owners a ton of $).

Personally, I love watching him play but if they are going to tear it down, let's do it.

If traded to NYM I still watch him play.

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I don't know. Maybe something happens, and maybe it doesn't. Clicks and rumors are fun aren't they?

You know what's not funny...Falvey having important decision-making authority regarding players if Buxton is traded.

[mnfireman]

My guess is that Buxton is "willing to waive" the no-trade clause means that Falvey and Buxton have discussed the possibility and have agreed that any deal has to be beneficial to both team and player;

Falvey has to get a good return first, even then if Buxton doesn't want to go to that team - no deal.

Buxton picks a team he wants to go to if they can't meet Falvey's request - no deal. Other team sweetens the pot, but asks for more players from Twins that Falvey doesn't want to part with - no deal.

Nothing to see hear other than that the national sports media doesn't think that smaller market teams should have nice toys...

 

 

[bunsen82]

9 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

My guess is that Buxton is "willing to waive" the no-trade clause means that Falvey and Buxton have discussed the possibility and have agreed that any deal has to be beneficial to both team and player;

Falvey has to get a good return first, even then if Buxton doesn't want to go to that team - no deal.

Buxton picks a team he wants to go to if they can't meet Falvey's request - no deal. Other team sweetens the pot, but asks for more players from Twins that Falvey doesn't want to part with - no deal.

Nothing to see hear other than that the national sports media doesn't think that smaller market teams should have nice toys...

 

 

No it actually means a trade is possible - before Buxton was an absolute no.  He wanted to stay a Twin.  Now that he is considering it is similar to Correa this summer.  Once you think on it and say yes, the probability goes up immensely.  Then it only matters if someone is willing to meet the value chart per se.