Joe Ryan’s Close Call Could Expedite Minnesota’s Trade Deadline Decision

[Hunter4848]

7 hours ago, Greglw3 said:

Count me in on signing Ryan to an extension.

With a nucleus of Keaschall, Lee (much improved defensively and offensively), Jeffers, Buxton, Larnach, Martin, Marek Houston, K Culpepper, E Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, Gabby Gonzalez (developing power alert!), Alan Roden, Hendry Mendez, Pablo, Ryan, Abel, Bradley, Morris, Prielipp, Matthews, Kendry Rojas, perhaps Hill, maybe Ryan Gallagher and C.J. Culpepper, the upcoming #3 draft pick, the task at hand is to get big improvements at 3rd, RF primarily and 1B plus acquire some legit bullpen arms.

I’m not sure if Sabato is growing toward major league ready right before our eyes but his current stats after this hitting blitz warrant keeping an eye on him.

Throw in the factor that we have a manager with a very good approach and coaches like Grady Sizemore, Latroy, a developing team wide approach of taking good at bats, going deep into counts and drawing walks plus moving runners with steal speed and better situational hitting, these are all positives that bode well for the Twins short term future.

What an awful nucleus. I guess if you love stumbling into the playoffs and getting booted in thr first round, then you might be intrigued by that motley crew of players

[Greglw3]

54 minutes ago, Hunter4848 said:

What an awful nucleus. I guess if you love stumbling into the playoffs and getting booted in thr first round, then you might be intrigued by that motley crew of players

As John McEnroe once said "You cannot be serious!"

[tony&rodney]

Joe Ryan does have a say in his future. He is from California. What would you do? Ryan doesn't need any more money. He needs to work wherever he chooses. My guess it is as simple as that.

[IndianaTwin]

Trading Ryan now is punting 2027. No thanks. 

Ryan, a rejuvenated Ober, what-he's-showing-this-year Bradley, soon-to-be-back Abel, what we've seen of Prielipp and much of a season from Lopez could be a pretty legit rotation. That doesn't even count any bounce back from SWR or the addition of anyone in the minors. 

This season has always been a roll of the dice. A contender, most likely not, but if all the pieces came together, a chance to sneak in the back door. With how the rest of the division has played, there's still a tiny sliver of chance, but realistically, Lopez going down largely slammed the door. 

So keep the plan, which seems to be to let 2026 be a year of sorting:

• Who among the young guys will be legit? A few weeks ago, folks saw Lee as a lost cause both offensively and defensively, but now his OPS+ is 102. Let Lee, Lewis, Keaschall, Martin, etc., continue to play, at least until someone pounds the door down behind them.
• Heck, let Larnach's season play out to see if he's indeed turned into a 126 OPS+ guy. Let Wallner continue to play himself into or out of a future, at least until one of the AAA guys is ready.
• Find out which of the minor league studs takes a step toward being a major league stud.
• Do the experimenting to find out which pitching prospect is indeed a bullpen guy.  
• At the trade deadline, go ahead and trade Bell and any free agent that brings anything.
• Special note on Jeffers -- I'd like to see them extend him a couple years. If not, I'm not sure that trading him at the deadline is the right thing. First, it doesn't seem like expiring catchers bring that much -- contending teams tend to already have a catcher unless one has just gotten hurt. Teams also don't want to mess up their mojo by bringing in a new catcher for their pitchers to get used to in the midst of a pennant race. And second, frankly, given the relatively little they would likely get for a two-month catcher rental, it may be more valuable to keep Jeffers to aid in the continued development of the young pitchers the Twins already have. Sure, he walks for nothing, but your pitchers are that much better. But if someone is going to give an Abel/Bradley-level pitcher for him, sure. 

All that to say that by the end of 2026, they should have a very good sense of what the needs are for 2027. In the meantime, don't create more needs by trading your best starter.

[Hunter4848]

38 minutes ago, Greglw3 said:

As John McEnroe once said "You cannot be serious!"

It's a bunch of unproven players and prospects...

Certainly not a playoff caliber roster. But you keep buying what the Pohlads are selling, they are laughing all the way to the bank

[jorgenswest]

On the point that it will expedite…

I would think that teams would be more hesitant to make a deal and Joe will need to show he is healthy and effective. It may slow trade talk.

I really don’t get the lost season mindset. There are 162 games. If you love baseball they all have meaning. The only lost season is a lock out or strike.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

12 hours ago, TopGunn#22 said:

In the moribund A.L. Central, where only ONE team has a positive run differential, I guess you could always say the Twins have a chance.  But we know better.  This team will be lucky to win 70 games.  They were never going to actually compete for anything this year.  

The Tigers are that only team with a positive run differential, and it will be interesting to see what THEY do with Tarik Skubal when he is finally healthy.  Skubal is not going to stay with the Tigers.  He's going to explore free agency.  The Tigers didn't sign Framber Valdez to bolster their pitching staff for 2026 as much as they did to prepare for life without Skubal after this season.

Any competent owner and GM would be working the phones to remake this Twins roster.  It's unclear how much of a hit Ryan's value has taken with this injury scare but at least they can get something for him.  Jeffers is repped by Scott Boras.  He's not signing an extension with the Twins.  Bailey Ober has rebuilt some value and should be traded ASAP.  Matt Wallner has now lost almost any value he had and with E-Rod, Jenkins and Gonzalez on the way, Wallner is a missed opportunity.  Larnach has increased his value slightly.  Dare I say Brooks Lee might have as well, but only slightly.

The Twins have done themselves no favors by not being aggressive traders before this season began (with the exception of Ober).  The fans are sending Tom Pohlad and the family a strong message.  "We don't want to watch your baseball team!!!"  "We will be disinterested in your baseball team until you finally sell it!!" 

It's time for the Pohlad's to realize this.  Start the major rebuild.  At a minimum, trade Ryan, Jeffers, Ober and Wallner.  Throw in SWR, Larnach and Lewis.  Bring in as much young talent as you can and play the kids.  Buxton is a tougher call.  He could bring a lot.  There's something to be said about having one star for the fans to come out and see.  But it's time to tear the present iteration of the Minnesota Twins down to the studs and begin building for the future.

It's 1981 all over again.  A strike/lockout is looming that could be LONG.  The Twins are a last place team with a hated ownership and empty seats in every TV shot during home games.  Give young pitchers a chance to learn how to pitch.  Bring up your Hrbek, Gaetti, and Eisnenreich.  Acquire a Brunansky and Gagne, and build something under new ownership that fans can get behind.   

This could be the year where the winner of the central is below .500…

but agreed, 1981 is a good comp

[LastOnePicked]

4 hours ago, PatPfund said:

You aren't exactly going to get full value on a pitcher rushed to market after already missing time for a back injury then an elbow issue. By the time Ryan has come back, and (assuming he stays healthy) pitches long enough to re-establish consistently top form, you are likely within a few weeks of the trade deadline. Anything much earlier probably involves a health-risk discount.

Perfectly stated. Other GMs read the news too, gang.

Ryan needed to be traded in the offseason. Otherwise, the Twins will have to pray that other teams have SP needs and Ryan has strengthened and stabilized when the trade deadline arrives. Otherwise, he's not going anywhere.

[LastOnePicked]

2 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

All that to say that by the end of 2026, they should have a very good sense of what the needs are for 2027. In the meantime, don't create more needs by trading your best starter.

I can tell you right now, the Twins will have more needs in 2027 than they can fill. You may not want to punt '27, but this team isn't anywhere close to being a contender for 2-3 years at least. Better to reset with prospects than to let top players here rot,

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

Trading Ryan now is punting 2027. No thanks. 

Ryan, a rejuvenated Ober, what-he's-showing-this-year Bradley, soon-to-be-back Abel, what we've seen of Prielipp and much of a season from Lopez could be a pretty legit rotation. That doesn't even count any bounce back from SWR or the addition of anyone in the minors. 

This season has always been a roll of the dice. A contender, most likely not, but if all the pieces came together, a chance to sneak in the back door. With how the rest of the division has played, there's still a tiny sliver of chance, but realistically, Lopez going down largely slammed the door. 

So keep the plan, which seems to be to let 2026 be a year of sorting:

• Who among the young guys will be legit? A few weeks ago, folks saw Lee as a lost cause both offensively and defensively, but now his OPS+ is 102. Let Lee, Lewis, Keaschall, Martin, etc., continue to play, at least until someone pounds the door down behind them.
• Heck, let Larnach's season play out to see if he's indeed turned into a 126 OPS+ guy. Let Wallner continue to play himself into or out of a future, at least until one of the AAA guys is ready.
• Find out which of the minor league studs takes a step toward being a major league stud.
• Do the experimenting to find out which pitching prospect is indeed a bullpen guy.  
• At the trade deadline, go ahead and trade Bell and any free agent that brings anything.
• Special note on Jeffers -- I'd like to see them extend him a couple years. If not, I'm not sure that trading him at the deadline is the right thing. First, it doesn't seem like expiring catchers bring that much -- contending teams tend to already have a catcher unless one has just gotten hurt. Teams also don't want to mess up their mojo by bringing in a new catcher for their pitchers to get used to in the midst of a pennant race. And second, frankly, given the relatively little they would likely get for a two-month catcher rental, it may be more valuable to keep Jeffers to aid in the continued development of the young pitchers the Twins already have. Sure, he walks for nothing, but your pitchers are that much better. But if someone is going to give an Abel/Bradley-level pitcher for him, sure. 

All that to say that by the end of 2026, they should have a very good sense of what the needs are for 2027. In the meantime, don't create more needs by trading your best starter.

Except they keep running the old guys out, especially the bullpen. They are doing nothing for the future there. You can't build it in one year, so they need to start now. And they aren't. 

[tony&rodney]

Ok, there are people that want the Twins to trade players.

Who? Realistically there may be interest from other teams in Jeffers, Buxton, and ??? among position players. Buck has a ntc. Perhaps there is minimal interest in Martin or Keaschall. Instead of screaming, suggest what team will send something worthwhile for one or more of the position players. Will these guys be better than the prospects in AAA? I'm not privy to any interest from any team. Trades are rare early in the year.

What pitchers are you trading? Ryan? Let us know what team and what the return is. Are people wanting to trade Bradley, Abel, or Prielipp? 

The window is closed for right now. Perhaps after the All Star Game there will be renewed discussions and texts sent and phone calls made. I'm all for any transactions that makes the roster stronger but the team is already pretty stripped down. Now the coaches and managers are finding out who will fend off the next wave, improve, or wind up elsewhere. Thinking teams will send the Twins a starting infielder for James Outman or Simeon Woods Richardson is out there. 

You want change? Put your specific ideas in the comments.

[DJL44]

10 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Ok, there are people that want the Twins to trade players.

Who? Realistically there may be interest from other teams in Jeffers, Buxton, and ??? among position players. Buck has a ntc. Perhaps there is minimal interest in Martin or Keaschall. Instead of screaming, suggest what team will send something worthwhile for one or more of the position players. Will these guys be better than the prospects in AAA? I'm not privy to any interest from any team. Trades are rare early in the year.

What pitchers are you trading? Ryan? Let us know what team and what the return is. Are people wanting to trade Bradley, Abel, or Prielipp? 

The window is closed for right now. Perhaps after the All Star Game there will be renewed discussions and texts sent and phone calls made. I'm all for any transactions that makes the roster stronger but the team is already pretty stripped down. Now the coaches and managers are finding out who will fend off the next wave, improve, or wind up elsewhere. Thinking teams will send the Twins a starting infielder for James Outman or Simeon Woods Richardson is out there. 

You want change? Put your specific ideas in the comments.

The Cubs could use Joe Ryan. They have had several starting pitchers injured. Rojas, Wiggins, Alcantara, Ramirez and Long are all interesting prospects. He could move before the deadline. The rest will wait until July.

Jeffers will get dealt to a contender. He’s a huge upgrade on anyone’s 2nd catcher.

Sell Larnach while he has value. His arbitration cost will go up next season. 

Sell Ober for the same reason. 

Josh Bell might not be tradeable. He’s an expensive DH for his production. Rogers, Topa and Banda are unlikely to return anything of value.

[Heiny]

My problem with trades, is that I don't believe the front office knows what the heck they are doing.  We went from one of the best bullpens in basball to one of the worst at last years trade deadline.  And that bullpen is now our weakest point by far.  It may be very difficult to build back to a good pen, but I don't see us building a good bullpen by trading Ryan.  I believe that building our bullpen is going to have to come from our minor leagues.  Trading Ryan before you lose him for nothing, because I don't think they will be able to extend him, is probably a good idea, but we are still not going to be legitimate contenders with this bullpen.  I'd love to get a good package for Ryan but I have no idea what that may consist of.  This team at this time with the financial comittment that is being shown seems like it will be a long time before we are actual contenders.  

[Riverbrian]

14 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

 

I really don’t get the lost season mindset. There are 162 games. If you love baseball they all have meaning. The only lost season is a lock out or strike.

I think you are correct as usual.

I would have done things different and have said so multiple times... That doesn't matter anymore. They took the path they took.

I would have less faith in the front office if they abandoned the path they chose 38 games into the season to all of sudden say... You know that Riverbrian WAS right. We should have traded Joe Ryan in the off-season at his peak value and then immediately changed course.    

I wouldn't want my front office that wishy washy. Nobody should want their front office that wishy washy. 

No matter what our opinions are of the current competitive state of our Twins. Technically... We are only 3.5 games out of the AL Central lead and even more importantly... we are only 38 games in with 124 games to go. 

Injuries are going to change the context many many times throughout the year. Sometimes injuries will improve the team. Multiple Hot Streaks, Cold Streaks and medium streaks are yet to happen for the Twins and the other 29 teams. 

 

 

 

 

[twinfan]

We traded away many of our best players at last year's deadline. So are we now a better team? That is what trading is all about. If we trade Ryan or Jeffers, will we be a better team? I doubt it because I only see us getting prospects who are more like suspects in the long run. Do we give up on Lewis, Wallner and/or Lee (who is going decently for now)? I don't know what the answer is. Right now I see a team that has had more at bats with the bases loaded yet can't score many runs in that situation, a team where batters don't move runners along like they should and a team whose bullpen is shaky at best. Something needs to be done. Yes the average MLB player bats .245 these days but we don't have many (including Buxton) who can do that. Yuck!