Why New York Mets May Finally Push for a Byron Buxton Blockbuster Trade

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Byron Buxton has repeatedly stated that he would stay in the Twin Cities for the rest of his career. Now, the veteran star appears increasingly open to the idea of waiving his no-trade clause. That shift has quietly pushed the door open for teams like the New York Mets, who have been circling for months and believe they are one impact defender away from transforming their offseason.

Let's take a deeper look into why the Buxton trade conversation has resurfaced, why the Mets remain heavy suitors, and which young players could catch the Twins' interest if talks gain traction.

Why a Buxton Trade Is Back on the Table
If the Twins had kept their veteran core intact at last summer’s trade deadline, this conversation might feel far-fetched. Instead, the front office pivoted toward selling, after injuries and inconsistency dragged Minnesota out of the AL Central race. Buxton stayed put then, but the logic behind that decision appears to be changing.

Buxton has three years and just $45 million remaining on his extension, making him one of the league’s best dollar-for-dollar values following a 2025 season in which he launched 35 home runs; posted an .878 OPS; and delivered nearly five wins above replacement. That production, combined with a playable center field glove, is precisely the kind of asset that rebuilding teams often cash in while they still can.

Reports from ESPN and The Athletic indicate Buxton is willing to approve a move under the right circumstances. The Braves and Mets reached out about Buxton at the deadline, but he held firm to his desire to stay in Minnesota. If the Twins want to maximize value before age and injury concerns resurface, a winter move might be the moment.

Why the Mets Are Locked In on a Center Field Upgrade
David Stearns, the Mets' president of baseball operations, has made it clear that New York intends to improve its run prevention and athleticism. To be fair, the Twins’ front office has said similar things about Minnesota’s roster over the last year. Earlier this winter, New York traded Brandon Nimmo to Texas for Marcus Semien, signaling a shift toward better infield defense and more stability up the middle. That maneuver, though, created a glaring opening in the outfield.

Juan Soto is penciled into right field, but center field remains unsettled. The Mets retained Tyrone Taylor as a depth option and are giving top prospect Carson Benge the chance to compete for a roster spot in spring training. They are also hovering around the high end of the free-agent market, where names like Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger linger. Neither of those players are center field options, though. 

Buxton is a different category of target. He is significantly cheaper than the star free agents and offers a reliable defensive fit, even if his power output fluctuates. If Benge proves ready sooner than expected, Buxton could shift to left field and immediately improve the outfield defense. If Benge needs more seasoning, Buxton becomes the everyday anchor in center. For a team aiming to contend with the Braves and Phillies, this flexibility matters.

The Mets' window is open. Stearns has the prospect capital. The logic lines up.

Mets Top Prospects Who Could Interest the Twins
For a player of Buxton’s caliber, the Twins should expect multiple premium talents in return. The Mets have precisely the type of system that can support such a deal.

Nolan McLean, RHP (No. 1 in the system, No. 11 in MLB)
McLean is still prospect-eligible, but he's a big-leaguer and could step into the Twins’ rotation if they trade from their veteran starting pitcher depth. Last season, he posted a 2.45 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and 27.2 K% at Double A and Triple A. He was even better during his big-league debut, with a 2.06 ERA and 30.3 K% in eight starts. McLean would be tough to wrestle away, even for Buxton. 

Carson Benge, OF (No. 2 in the system, No. 21 in MLB)
This is another tough piece to pry loose. Benge is likely to debut in 2026 and could slot into New York’s outfield for years. Last season, as a 22-year-old, he moved through the three highest levels in the Mets' farm system. In 116 games, he hit .281/.385/.472, with a 150 wRC+. If Minnesota insists on a potential Buxton replacement, they will start the conversation here.

Jett Williams, IF (No. 3 in the system, No. 30 in MLB)
Williams has on-base skills and defensive versatility that fit Minnesota’s development patterns perfectly. He might be the most realistic centerpiece, if New York wants to keep Benge and McLean. Last season, he hit .261/.363/.465, with a 136 wRC+ in 130 games, although that included some struggles upon a promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. He was drafted as a middle infielder but has also played some center. Like Benge, he would be a plausible Buxton replacement.

Jonah Tong, RHP (No. 4 in the system, No. 46 in MLB)
Tong won MiLB's Pitching Prospect of the Year Award in 2025 and profiles as a rotation stabilizer with upside. At the two highest levels of the minors, he posted a 1.43 ERA (best among full-season qualifiers) and led the minors with 179 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings. His 40.5% strikeout rate, 29.9 K-BB%, .148 opponents' batting average, 1.68 FIP, and 2.16 xFIP were all tops among minor leaguers with at least 100 innings pitched. His brief struggles in the big leagues at age 22 might make the front office hesitate, but this is precisely the type of right arm the Twins covet.

Brandon Sproat, RHP (No. 5 in the system)
Sproat is a power righty who could help the Twins as soon as 2026. He pitched the bulk of his innings at Triple A last season and compiled a 4.24 ERA, with a 1.24 WHIP and a 22.1% strikeout rate. Adding him as part of a larger package would firm up Minnesota’s pitching depth.

Jacob Reimer, 3B/1B (No. 6 in the system)
One of the best third base prospects in baseball, Reimer would give Minnesota a long-term solution behind Royce Lewis or a high-ceiling bat if injuries or roster decisions shift the infield picture. He split time between High A and Double A last season, with a 157 wRC+, 21.5% strikeout rate, and 11.1% walk rate. Reimer is a right-handed power bat, something the Twins have lacked in recent seasons. 

A realistic Twins ask could be a package built around Williams or Reimer, paired with a pitching prospect like Tong or Sproat. If the Mets are determined to push past other NL East competitors, this is the price they will finally agree to pay.

A Buxton trade is not imminent, but the conditions feel more aligned than ever. The Twins need young, controllable talent with a chance to make a big difference. The Mets need a steadying force in center field. Buxton is increasingly open to a new chapter. The two clubs have danced around this possibility for months. This winter might be the time they finally finish the song.

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Which prospects would make an ideal Buxton package? Would the Mets overpay for Buxton? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[arby58]

I doubt you could get two of the players mentioned here but agree that Williams and Reimer would be a good ask.

[tony&rodney]

Detroit is interested and the Dodgers have excess players just hanging out. This has been discussed ad infinatum already today. The Twins won't match the haul San Diego gave up for Juan Soto, but Byron Buxton is worth a load. Shoot high, real high if it is necessary. Buxton looks good in Twins threads if nobody wants to overpay.

[sweetmusicviola16]

For Buxton I feel you can eliminate the top 4 in the Mets system. Sproat? Maybe. 

[sweetmusicviola16]

Ryan and Buxton to NYM for Tong, Sproat, Reimer and a couple of high upside prospects. Another C Yovanny Rodriguez interests me as one of those. Maybe if we have 3 or 4 C prospects in the system we can hit on one or two.

[tony&rodney]

3 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Ryan and Buxton to NYM for Nimmo, Sproat, Reimer and a couple of high upside prospects. Another C Yovanny Rodriguez interests me as one of those. Maybe if we have 3 or 4 C prospects in the system we can hire on one or two.

Nimmo was traded before Thanksgiving. 

[tony&rodney]

14 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

For Buxton I feel you can eliminate the top 4 in the Mets system. Sproat? Maybe. 

Mets fan?

[Nashvilletwin]

Let’s go complete blockbuster.  Why goof off with another team if the Mets have the prospects we covet and we have just what the Mets need?

Buxton and Ryan and Ober for McLean, Benge and Sloat.  Essentially direct replacements.  If they balk on McLean, then Buxton and Ryan for Benge, Sloat, Tong and Reimer - we keep Ober.  We do not want Jett; we are long SS prospects and if we win the lottery on Sunday we will draft the best SS and overall #1 prospect in June.

[old nurse]

If Buxton is waiving his no trade clause it would seem reasonable to consider he would want a significant raise and added years. 

Sandy Anderson said that after the Verlander and Scherzer flop for money that the Mets were going to have to develop more in house talent. Their pitching has been not an asset. I doubt they would give up what they have difficulty procuring.   It would take a sharp computer programmer to figure out what Mets prospects in the lower ranks are going to be good. The Twins only  have one pro scout

[sweetmusicviola16]

19 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Nimmo was traded before Thanksgiving. 

Meant Tong. Something went wong typing

[sweetmusicviola16]

15 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Mets fan?

Nope.

[CRF]

Just trade Buxton, Ryan, and Lopez...and get the whole effing thing over with. 

[shimrod]

21 minutes ago, old nurse said:

If Buxton is waiving his no trade clause it would seem reasonable to consider he would want a significant raise and added years. 

Yeah, that no trade clause means Buxton is only as cheap as he wants to be. Buxton should demand a hefty salary increase. If that reduces the return to the Twins...why should Buxton care? 

[High heat]

Where there is smoke there is fire!

You don’t say well don’t know a budget and don’t know what direction the team is going if you have any plan to build around this team.  
 

This new ownership group wants a quick return on investment and that means cutting this payroll to the bones and collecting on revenue $.  If it was someone who wanted to invest in the team they would have come out and said it by now with the falling season ticket base and fan interest.
 

Twins are tearing it down Buxton, Pablo, Ryan are all gone.  Hopefully can bring in some talent and hope for 2030.

[Daniel Anderson]

Buxton and Ryan are affordable excellence, where they both are in terms of contract and productivity should be something that GMs dream about. Trade Lopez if you must, but those two should be what you build around, not what you trade for more prospects.

[Riverbrian]

50 minutes ago, shimrod said:

Yeah, that no trade clause means Buxton is only as cheap as he wants to be. Buxton should demand a hefty salary increase. If that reduces the return to the Twins...why should Buxton care? 

The Twins won't trade him if it's too low. If he cares about that. 

[Blyleven2011]

1 hour ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

For Buxton I feel you can eliminate the top 4 in the Mets system. Sproat? Maybe. 

I had no idea the mets had that many players ranked in the top 100 prospect list ...

Almost puts our number 2 of the 30 teams  ranking to shame  ....

Trade rumors reports twins signed grant hartburg  to minor league contract , not much to get excited about except  someone has to be eliminated off the 40 ...

It better be you know who ...

[sweetmusicviola16]

3 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

I had no idea the mets had that many players ranked in the top 100 prospect list ...

Almost puts our number 2 of the 30 teams  ranking to shame  ....

Trade rumors reports twins signed grant hartburg  to minor league contract , not much to get excited about except  someone has to be eliminated off the 40 ...

It better be you know who ...

Hartwig reminds me of the carousel they did in August with the RP's. I think anyone who thinks the Twins will be signing BP guys for 3-6mil is living in fantasy land. Not much chance. Or a 1B for 6-8mil either. The only chance of the Twins spending any significant dollars on FA's is if they do trade Lopez, Buxton, Ryan, Jeffers and Ober. They might then spend so they fall in place with the CBA for the revenue sharing check. 

[Doc Lenz]

We need to trade Paul Bunyan then though he’s our best power hitter.

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Mets fan?

#2 team.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, CRF said:

Just trade Buxton, Ryan, and Lopez...and get the whole effing thing over with. 

Long run that's TC best move.  Short term it's a fan freakout on steroids.

[ziggy]

Trading Buxton would be another gut punch. A disappointing finish to Buxtons Twins career after waiting for so many years for him to finally have a season where he puts it all together and plays more than 100 games.

He is a difference maker when he is on the field.

And we are back at square 'hope the prospects work out' one.  

Buxton, Sano, Berrios and Meyer were going to bring a title to the Twins oh so many years of hope ago.

I should take up golf.

[D.C Twins]

Lopez 99% chance gone

Buck 75% chance gone

Ryan 50% chance gone

BUT the Twins will try to trade them as late as possible in the off season in hopes of suckering a few more ignoramuses into buying season tickets.   

[SteveLV]

Buxton, Ryan, Lopez and Jeffers for Vasquez, McLean, Tong, Benge and Williams (and a couple flyers).

Mets get better now, Twins get younger and better down the road.

Pohlad's save $.

Twins fans get to root for the Mets! :)

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I hope the Buck Truck remains headquartered in Minneapolis until he retires. He is that special as a player, as a leader, as a Minnesota Twin. 

[Blyleven2011]

10 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I hope the Buck Truck remains headquartered in Minneapolis until he retires. He is that special as a player, as a leader, as a Minnesota Twin. 

Maybe during or after the winter meetings we will have something more substantial to talk about ...

Since we don't exactly know what direction the owners and FO are going , it has everyone speculating that we are going to trade off the rest of our valued players  , me included ...

It would be nice to have a FO think more about the fans than they do , I feel invisible  ...

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, SteveLV said:

Buxton, Ryan, Lopez and Jeffers for Vasquez, McLean, Tong, Benge and Williams (and a couple flyers).

Mets get better now, Twins get younger and better down the road.

Pohlad's save $.

Twins fans get to root for the Mets! :)

Years ahead of ya on the Mets rooting.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, SteveLV said:

Buxton, Ryan, Lopez and Jeffers for Vasquez, McLean, Tong, Benge and Williams (and a couple flyers).

Mets get better now, Twins get younger and better down the road.

Pohlad's save $.

Twins fans get to root for the Mets! :)

Who is Vasquez?

[TJSweens]

4 hours ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

For Buxton I feel you can eliminate the top 4 in the Mets system. Sproat? Maybe. 

An all star, platinum glove CF with 30 HR power who can steal bases and is at a below market deal for 3 years should Garner a return of any of the prospects listed after #1.

[chpettit19]

4 hours ago, shimrod said:

Yeah, that no trade clause means Buxton is only as cheap as he wants to be. Buxton should demand a hefty salary increase. If that reduces the return to the Twins...why should Buxton care? 

It depends on who's pushing for the trade. If the Twins are the ones going to him and saying they need to move him, then absolutely he should do whatever he can to get whatever he can since the Twins would likely just be moving him to save his salary. It wouldn't make sense for them from a team building perspective to force him out knowing he has the power to totally tank his trade value. Getting nothing back for him would defeat any purpose of trading him beyond saving money.

I'd argue very strongly that the only way he's being traded is if he demands out. In that case, why would he want to make it harder to trade him? That's why he should care. If he's asking out he should want to make it as easy as possible to trade him since if the Twins don't want to trade him they can force him to stick around for 3 more years.