Jeremy Zoll Continues to Shut Down Byron Buxton Trade Rumors

[Cody Christie]

Trade rumors have followed Byron Buxton for several years, but the Minnesota Twins have consistently pushed back against the idea that they are looking to move their franchise center fielder. General manager Jeremy Zoll has been among the loudest voices trying to keep that conversation from gaining momentum. Even after Buxton underwent hip surgery, Zoll offered another reminder that the organization's position has not changed.

Zoll addressed the subject during an appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. Asked about the recurring rumors and whether Buxton could be dealt, the Twins' general manager pointed to the conversations he has had directly with the player. In those discussions, Zoll said, both sides have been clear about wanting the relationship to continue.

"I worked pretty hard to shut that down this past…over the course of the summer and whatnot. I don't know," Zoll said. "Byron and I have talked about it a few different times over the course of the year. It's like 'You want to be here, we want you here; I can't control what the public's saying. I will do my best.' Worked pretty hard this summer to shut it down in the end-of-season remarks, made clear that sentiment remains."

That message is consistent with what Zoll has said publicly throughout the season. Buxton's talent, injury history, and contract situation make him a frequent subject of speculation, particularly as Minnesota evaluates its timeline for contention. Still, the front office has repeatedly indicated that trading him is not part of its plan.

There is one important detail that makes the possibility of a deal more complicated: Buxton has a no-trade clause. Minnesota cannot simply send him to another club without his approval. For a trade to become realistic, Buxton would have to waive that protection and agree to a destination. Nothing Zoll said Wednesday suggested that either side is interested in pursuing that outcome.

Buxton remains one of the most important players on the roster when he is available. He appeared in 93 games last season, batting .254 with 25 home runs while being voted in as a starter for the All-Star Game for the first time in his career. His combination of power, speed, and defense is difficult for the Twins to replace, and keeping him in the middle of the order gives the club a dynamic presence around which to build.

Zoll reinforced that point later in the interview, emphasizing that Buxton's commitment to Minnesota is something the organization wants to reciprocate.

"I know that's how Byron feels too. And he made a commitment to the Twins, and, you know, we want to return that. And he's a special player, and he's going to help us get to where we want to be," Zoll said Wednesday.

For now, the public back-and-forth does not appear to be changing the relationship between Buxton and the Twins. The more pressing question is whether Minnesota can put a better team around him. Buxton's health and recovery will be major storylines heading into 2027, but so will the team's ability to take a meaningful step forward.

Zoll has made the organization's stance clear: the Twins want Buxton in Minnesota, and they believe he can help them reach their goals. Until the player or the front office gives a reason to think otherwise, the latest round of trade rumors looks like more noise than an indication of an impending move.

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[MMBoys93]

Coming off of injury, with his injury history, I don’t think the trade value coming back would be enough to make sense.

 

[Cory Engelhardt]

I don't know why national outlets continue to say this as a possibility. He's said for years now that he wants to be remembered with other players who only played for one franchise. Yes he has had injuries in his history, more than most. But his viewpoint hasn't changed. Just because writers for other teams try and bring up trade rumors won't change his opinions

[Cris E]

Let's start a Bryce Harper To MN rumor.  We can do it, everyone just start talking about it. Clearly indicate that neither Harper nor the Phils have any interest in it, but that MN has a place for him at 1B, room on the payroll and a desire to see a gutsy HR guy who can drive a clubhouse towards a title. 

"Hey Bryce, how about moving to Minnesota?"

"Why would I do that? I'm really enjoying my time in Philadelphia and it looks like we're going to have another strong season."

"Well we don't have a good solution for 1B and you looked good in red and navy when you were with the Nationals. C'mon, it'll be great."

"????" 

 

[Whitey333]

Buxton has been treated with kid gloves by the Twins.  They even signed him to that 100 mill contract that only has a couple years left.  That 15 million per year seems reasonable considering he is always hurt and never plays a full season.  As long as Buxton is considered a core player the Twins appear to continue to stunt the major league development of players like Jenkins.  By the way what great moves has Zoll done it his short tenure?  Not sold on Zoll.  

[nicksaviking]

Tom Pohlad: Guys, my only priority is getting the fans back. I need ideas on how to do that.

Jeremy Zoll: We could trade the longest tenured Twin and the only one 50% of Minnesotans know by name.

Tom Pohlad: We will resume the quest to gain more fans after we conclude our GM search.

[Parfigliano]

25 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Tom Pohlad: Guys, my only priority is getting the fans back. I need ideas on how to do that.

Jeremy Zoll: We could trade the longest tenured Twin and the only one 50% of Minnesotans know by name.

Tom Pohlad: We will resume the quest to gain more fans after we conclude our GM search.

TC searching for a new GM would be great news.

[Whitey333]

Buxton had a full no trade contract clause that ran through the 2026 season.  According to multiple sources that changes to a 5 team no trade clause beginning with the 2027 season.  That would give Twins many more opportunities to trade him if they choose to.

[Riverbrian]

Good

Keep shutting them down.

Byron Buxton should spend his entire career as a Minnesota Twin. And he should get a statue on the plaza doing his Buck Truck signal as he rounds 2B shortly after he retires a Minnesota Twin. He should be one of the rare players who played for one organization his entire career. 

#25 will look great in between #14 Kent Hrbek and #28 Bert Blyleven.  

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Buxton had a full no trade contract clause that ran through the 2026 season.  According to multiple sources that changes to a 5 team no trade clause beginning with the 2027 season.  That would give Twins many more opportunities to trade him if they choose to.

Buck has full NT due to 10 and 5 rights. The contract clause is no longer needed. 

[jmlease1]

23 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I don't know why national outlets continue to say this as a possibility. He's said for years now that he wants to be remembered with other players who only played for one franchise. Yes he has had injuries in his history, more than most. But his viewpoint hasn't changed. Just because writers for other teams try and bring up trade rumors won't change his opinions

Because the front offices of clubs that covet Buxton feed them bits to try and stir the pot. They want Buck and they will absolutely use the national media that they have at their beck and call (many of whom do not have any real relationships with anyone working for a team like the Twins) to try advance an idea. It's not like the national media wants to come to MN and cover the Twins; they want to cover Buxton playing CF for the Mets or something.

The national media also presumes that a team like the Twins must inevitably surrender their best players to larger markets, generally for whatever scraps are thrown their way. So as long as they see the twins as being also-rans, they will also treat their entire roster as ripe for a fire sale. (and they will always see teams like the twins as also-rans.)

[Parfigliano]

9 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Because the front offices of clubs that covet Buxton feed them bits to try and stir the pot. They want Buck and they will absolutely use the national media that they have at their beck and call (many of whom do not have any real relationships with anyone working for a team like the Twins) to try advance an idea. It's not like the national media wants to come to MN and cover the Twins; they want to cover Buxton playing CF for the Mets or something.

The national media also presumes that a team like the Twins must inevitably surrender their best players to larger markets, generally for whatever scraps are thrown their way. So as long as they see the twins as being also-rans, they will also treat their entire roster as ripe for a fire sale. (and they will always see teams like the twins as also-rans.)

I hope the NYM would rather have a CF available for more then 90 games a year.

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

Because the front offices of clubs that covet Buxton feed them bits to try and stir the pot. They want Buck and they will absolutely use the national media that they have at their beck and call (many of whom do not have any real relationships with anyone working for a team like the Twins) to try advance an idea. It's not like the national media wants to come to MN and cover the Twins; they want to cover Buxton playing CF for the Mets or something.

The national media also presumes that a team like the Twins must inevitably surrender their best players to larger markets, generally for whatever scraps are thrown their way. So as long as they see the twins as being also-rans, they will also treat their entire roster as ripe for a fire sale. (and they will always see teams like the twins as also-rans.)

I get all of that. I also get that this is why sports suck. I LOVE baseball, best distraction and enjoyment I've ever had out of a thing that truly doesn't matter. But it makes me so bad that journalists spend on time stuff like this that both A) Truly doesn't matter in the real world and B) Goes against everything Buxton has said in his whole career. I wish journalists were actually out reporting real things that do matter, and time wasn't spend on inane things like this.

[old nurse]

A lot of media types have to have content. It is not like they have to have facts or even talk to the parties involved. 

[bean5302]

After Kirby, attendance went up.
After Mauer, attendance went up.
After Santana, attendance went up.
The name on the jersey makes little difference except in internet chat rooms and message boards.

[mnfireman]

For those of you that don't know what 10 & 5 rights are (it sure seems like there are a lot of posters that don't (Buxton has them)):

https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/10-and-5-rights

[MackMan]

2 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

For those of you that don't know what 10 & 5 rights are (it sure seems like there are a lot, (Buxton has them)):

https://www.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/10-and-5-rights

Yeah. The only way Buck can be traded is if he says yes. And I have a feeling he'd only waive it for a few teams or maybe just 1 team (ATL) because at this point we'd probably have to eat a chunk of his contract for a team to take him due to being injured all the time. 

[ashbury]

As already noted, Buxton can veto any trade due to his 10-year service time, all with the Twins.  So the clause in his contract extension that protected him is no longer even necessary.  Buxton has stated that he's a Twin for life.  You'd have to find some way to persuade him to accept a trade.  Almost any way I can think of would do damage to the franchise's reputation around the league and among players, particularly if he wound up actually requesting a trade.  That is aside from the harm it would do to the local fan base.  I can not fathom why the subject even comes up, but Zoll speaking forthrightly is the way to go.

[nicksaviking]

8 hours ago, bean5302 said:

After Kirby, attendance went up.
After Mauer, attendance went up.
After Santana, attendance went up.
The name on the jersey makes little difference except in internet chat rooms and message boards.

After Mauer (2018) you had the Bomba Squad that won 101 games. When he left, Santana was probably about the third most popular Twin after Mauer and Moreau.

And attendance dropped like a tractor in Lake Michigan after Puckett. I don’t think the Metrodome even averaged 10K fans a game for the next three years or so.

[MeleMouth]

My thoughts about whether the Twins should or would trade Byron Buxton:

Ernie Banks was before my time, but from all accounts he was hugely popular with the Cubs, the only MLB team he ever played for. (He had previously played briefly for the Harlem Globetrotters and the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League.) He was a 2-time MVP and 14-time All Star, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. A statue of him stands outside Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, the Cubs weren't very good until about 15 years after he retired.

[dxpavelka]

On 11/11/2026 at 5:29 PM, Cris E said:

Let's start a Bryce Harper To MN rumor.  We can do it, everyone just start talking about it. Clearly indicate that neither Harper nor the Phils have any interest in it, but that MN has a place for him at 1B, room on the payroll and a desire to see a gutsy HR guy who can drive a clubhouse towards a title. 

"Hey Bryce, how about moving to Minnesota?"

"Why would I do that? I'm really enjoying my time in Philadelphia and it looks like we're going to have another strong season."

"Well we don't have a good solution for 1B and you looked good in red and navy when you were with the Nationals. C'mon, it'll be great."

"????" 

 

I tried that with Pete Alonzo in free agency last year.  Didn't work.