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    Trade and free agent rumors posted here.

    202 rumors in this category

      Matthew Lenz

      Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax have not been officially made available to clubs, although the Minnesota Twins are reportedly open to offers on both players. Moreover, it has been reported that the Twins are seeking at least multiple top-100 prospects for either of the relievers, if they were to be dealt.

      Alden Gonzalez of ESPN took things a step further yesterday, reporting that "the sense is one of [Jhoan Duran or Griffin Jax] will be traded." Aside from Cleveland Guardians' closer Emmanuel Clase, Duran and Jax are the two best relievers potentially available on the market. In addition to elite production, both players are controllable through the 2027 season, which makes their value that much more significant.

      Through 46 appearances and 46.1 innings pitched, Duran boasts an impressive 1.94 ERA with 16 saves plus holds to boot. The fire baller has maintained his high-strikeout, relatively low-walk profile with a K% of 26.4% and a BB% of 8.3%, resulting in a solid K-BB% of 18.1%. Notably, he allowed his first home run in more than 76 innings pitched (dating back to 2024) against Shohei Ohtani earlier this week.

      Jax's surface-level stats are still recovering from a tough start to the season, but the righty carries a 4.09 ERA of 44 innings with 20 holds on the season. He boasts a K% of 37.9% while maintaining a strong BB% of 5.6%, which results in an outstanding K-BB% of 32.3%. 

      Do you think the Twins should trade one, both, or neither of there elite relievers. Join the conversation in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      Yesterday, Jon Heyman reported that the Minnesota Twins are seriously listening to offers regarding some of their rental players. However, those players are far from the best assets on the club.

      In his latest, Jeff Pasan of ESPN identifies Jhoan Duran as the teams most valuable asset, assuming that Joe Ryan is largely unavailable unless the Twins are completely swept off their feet by an offer. In the same breath as Duran, Passan identify jacks as another high-end asset who would require multiple top 100 prospects in return for either of the reliever services.

      While it may be all but official that the twins will be sellers at the deadline, they still have decisions to make on what the future of this team looks like. Do they think the core of this team can be a playoff contender and just needs to be retooled for 2026? Or, are they thinking a larger rebuild may be necessary? While we won't get in an explicit answer to those questions, how they navigate this trade deadline will provide a pretty clear direction for the club.
       

      If they retain all of the names mentioned above, that's a signal that they believe in the core of this roster to compete in 2026 and beyond. If they move any of the pieces above, especially Ryan, then they are essentially waving the white flag for 2026 and maybe even 2027 as they await the next wave of prospects.

      How do you think the Minnesota Twins should approach this deadline? Join the conversation in the comments!

      Matthew Taylor

      According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post and MLB Network, the Twins are now “seriously listening” on several of their rental players, including Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, and Danny Coulombe. Given the team’s inconsistent play and recent slide heading into the deadline, this shift is hardly surprising.

      Heyman also notes that Minnesota is willing to listen on bigger names like Joe Ryan and Jhoan Duran, though it would take a significant offer to pry either away — especially Ryan, who’s under team control through 2027.

      This doesn’t appear to be a full-scale fire sale, but it’s a clear sign the Twins are preparing to pivot if their deadline outlook continues to dim. With no extension talks brewing for their rentals and a tough stretch of games underway, the front office looks ready to retool if the right offers come along.

      What do you think the Twins should do? Leave a comment and start the conversation!

      Brock Beauchamp

      Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Dodgers are pursuing high-leverage relievers and have called the Twins on righties Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax.

      It's not surprising the Dodgers are pursuing pitching. Between injuries and underperformance, what looked like an untouchable staff has been rather pedestrian thus far in 2025. Tanner Scott, owner of a shiny new multi-year deal, is pitching to a 4.00 ERA and has a handful of blown saves.

      Duran and Jax will be costly. As two of the most elite late-inning relievers in baseball, both will be highly sought after if the Twins decide to sell at the deadline. Both Jax and Duran are under team control through the 2027 season and have displayed late-inning dominance for multiple years, along with relative health. As far as relievers go, they're both the entire package with few flaws to detract from their trade value.

      What would you ask for in return for either Jax or Duran?

      Brock Beauchamp

      Jon Heyman reports that the Mets have checked on Twins left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe, a move that aligns with New York’s deadline priority of adding a high-leverage lefty out of the pen. 

      Coulombe, 35, has been one of the American League’s most efficient relievers in 2025. Through 26 2/3 innings he owns a 0.68 ERA and a 1.70 FIP, pairing a 27 percent strikeout rate (9.8 K/9) with only 6 percent walks (2.4 BB/9) and zero home runs allowed across 35 appearances. His 0.9 fWAR already matches last season’s total. 

      Coulombe's return would not be enormous for the Twins, but given his sheer dominance and left-handedness, there should be multiple suitors calling on him should the Twins decide to sell.

      To get up to speed on the Mets' system, here is their top-30 rankings via MLB Pipeline.

      Matthew Lenz

      The Minnesota Twins will enter the All Star break as a .500 club, sitting just a few games out of an American League Wild Card spot. We can assume the Twins won't be buyers, but it's not clear if they'll look to improve the team for a playoff push or look to the future - whether it be a retool for 2026 or a bigger rebuild.

      One things is for certain, there will be a significant market for bullpen aces Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax. Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies are "extensively scouting" the duo, hoping to acquire at least one of them. He notes the Twins are also receiving strong interest from the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.

      Duran has maintained an elite level of performance, recording 15 saves and 18 holds. His effectiveness is highlighted by a remarkable 1.49 ERA and a 2.21 FIP. Duran's strikeout-minus-walk rate (K-BB%) stands at 17.8%, reflecting his ability to generate strikeouts while limiting free passes.

      Jax has also contributed significantly, registering 18 holds and zero saves. While his ERA sits at 4.02, his underlying metrics suggest better performance, with a strong 1.89 FIP. Jax has demonstrated impressive control and strikeout capability, posting a K-BB% of 32.2% (38.0% K% and 5.8% BB%).

      Do you think the Twins should deal their high-leverage relievers? Join the conversation in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      It can be pretty well assumed that the Minnesota Twins will not be buyers at the trade deadline, though the jury is still out on whether they will be sellers. Moreover, if they are sellers, will they be looking to retool for 2026 or enter a larger, multi year rebuild?

      If they are looking at more of a rebuild, then I would think any non-pre-arbitration player could be up for grabs. Jon Morosi of MLB Network is reporting that Joe Ryan is being monitored "by a number of teams."

      Ryan, 29, is having an impressive 2025 season. Through 18 games (17 starts), he boasts a strong 2.76 ERA over 104.1 innings pitched. His FIP stands at 3.25, suggesting his excellent ERA is well-supported by his underlying metrics. Ryan has maintained a high strikeout rate with 116 strikeouts against just 21 walks, resulting in an excellent strikeout-minus-wall rate of 23.4% He's consistently limited walks, contributing to a stellar 0.89 WHIP - third best in all of baseball. Despite all of that, he was not elected to the MLB All-Star game. He is controllable through the 2027 season.

      What approach do you think the Twins should take at the upcoming trade deadline? Join the conversation in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      As Twins fans have gotten used to in recent seasons, it's been a roller coaster ride of a season. With a peak that included a 13-game win streak and valleys for a majority of the games before and after that winning streak. Now, sitting below .500 and 4.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot, many are wondering if the Twins would be sellers at the deadline.

      In a recent article by Matthew Leach of MLB.com, he shares that Twins President of Baseball Operations, Derek Falvey, is not focused on selling at the deadline.

      The Twins are 3-14 in their last 17 games and their starting rotation, who carried the team through the 13-game win streak, has been one of the worst in the league for the month of June. While it's clear the team needs a jump start, perhaps by adding at the trade deadline, it's not expected the Twins will be legitimate buyers.

      It's well known that the Pohlad family is not only trying to sell the team, but also has pushed back on adding to the payroll. Any likely moves made at the deadline will be similar to those of previous seasons - low impact players on cheap deals.
       

      Any meaningful reinforcements will need to come from the injured list (Pablo López, Zebby Matthews, Luke Keaschall, and/or Royce Lewis) or from their farm system. 

      Matthew Lenz

      Had you noticed that Byron Buxton not only played but started in the first 11 games of the season? Either way, you've probably noticed he's been out of the lineup on back-to-back. After awkwardly crashing into the wall days prior, you may have been concerned that the Twins' centerfielder was dealing with an injury. Alas, that doesn't seem to be the case after an update from Dan Hayes on Buxton's absence yesterday and today.

      First and foremost, we hope that everything is okay with Buxton and his loved ones. We don't have any information on what the personal matter may be, and frankly it's none of our business.

      While Buxton was reportedly healthy as ever coming into the season, many were still cautiously optimistic that he could play 100+ games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career. Despite making ten consecutive starts for the first time since 2021, Buxton has struggled at the plate with a sub-.500 OPS, one home run, and a 16:1 K:BB ratio across 43 plate appearances. Especially when April is traditionally one of his better months, the Twins need more production out of their 31-year-old star.

      Before that, though, Buxton needs to tend to his personal matter. Our thoughts are with him and his family.

      Seth Stohs

      The Twins traveled to Tampa to play the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon. Joe Ryan tossed two scoreless innings. Zebby Matthews came in for the third inning. He gave up a couple of hits but got an inning-ending double play to end any threat. He came back out for the bottom of the fourth inning. On his second pitch to Paul Goldschmidt, the former MVP grounded a slow roller down the third base line. Matthews raced to it, fielded it and then threw to first for the out. A very nice play. 

      However, before making another throw, Ryan Jeffers slowly walked to the mound, and a trainer soon followed. Matthews moved and stretched a little as if he may have pulled a muscle near his hip or side. He didn't appear to be in pain, maybe more discomfort. Rocco Baldelli quickly removed him from the game. John Stankiewicz came in and got the final two outs of the innings. 

      Matthews, who has been very impressive all spring, throwing hard, with a good changeup and a slider. Replay showed that his right foot slid a little bit when planting. Before going to the mound, Matthews bent at the waist, stretching his back and/or side. He walked off looking fairly comfortable, but at this stage, taking him out was the right decision. Hopefully it is nothing. 

      However, a day after Justin Topa walked off the mound mid-inning, and with the news of Matt Canterino being shut down again, keeping all of the pitching depth as healthy as possible will be important. 

      And speaking of important, Matthews will play a very important role with the Twins in 2025 and beyond. 

      Matthew Lenz

      Fresh off the heels of the somewhat surprising news that the Twins are looking for a veteran back up shortstop, Dan Hayes drops this little nugget in response to a fan's question.

      Willi Castro the first basemen? Whaaaaaat? If you're wondering, Castro has seven positions throughout his career. He's never played catcher and he's never played first base in his professional career. As in he has 0.0 (or 0 0/3 if you prefer that format) innings at first.

      In the last few days, the Twins have addressed their two biggest needs. A left-handed reliever and a corner outfield who can handle left-handed pitching. Lower in the priority list has been a first basemen to back up Miranda, but I'm not sure anyone would have guessed that Castro would be a viable option. In fact, Castro grades out as a negative defender at nearly every position he plays aside from third base. I don't know about you but I'm not thrilled that the contingency plan behind Miranda looks to be Castro (or Julien) as of right now. Maybe the need for a back up first basemen is bigger than we initially thought.

      What do you make of this news?

      Matthew Lenz

      It sounds like the Pohlad's may be ripping open their pocket books!

      *Dramatic pause for audience eyeroll*

      Seriously though, Dan Hayes of The Athletic just reported that "the Twins are believed to have some financial leeway, perhaps $5 million in the 2025 payroll" in his latest report.

      While $5 million won't net them much, it's about $5 million more than we originally thought Derek Falvey had left to play with. Coincidentally, the report comes around the time of the offseason where the "Falvine" regime has tended to cook, as the kids say. In fact, that topic was just broached today here at Twins Daily.

      The timing of Hayes' report and Twins Daily speculation cannot be overlooked. Might Falvey be prepping the meal and just waiting for his moment to cook? Only time will tell.

      How do you think the Twins should spend the $5 million?

      Matthew Lenz

      Towards the end of last season, when the Minnesota Twins were in the midst of a historic collapse, Rocco Baldelli had Royce Lewis try his hand at second base. The move was partially due to Lewis' performance at the hot corner (11 errors; 10 throwing), but it was more about the lack of production coming from those at the Keystone, which was a game of mix and match all season.

      At the time, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reported that Lewis was "apprehensive" with the move across the diamond. In fact, around that same time, he said the following about moving off third: "If you take a baby out of its crib where it’s safe, it’s going to feel a little bit scared. That’s kind of where I’m at right now".

      Despite those concerns, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reiterated ($$) in November that the Twins and Royce Lewis had a "second shot" at second base this offseason. What was interesting in that update was that Hayes led off by stating that Lewis' agent, Scott Boras, thought he'd be open to the move.

      Alas, here we are two months later and the latest update from Darren Wilson via the Minnesota Sports with Mackey & Judd podcast is that he's been taking more reps at third than second this offseason. Emphasis on "more", meaning he is still taking reps at second but that seems to be part of the plan to continue mixing and matching at the position, as needed, in 2025.

      If the roster generally stays the same between now and opening day, what does your starting infield look like?

      Matthew Lenz

      Unsurprisingly, it's been a quiet offseason for the Minnesota Twins coming off an 82-win season. While pitchers and catchers report in under a month, multiple sources are indicating the Twins have been active in the trade market.

      On January 16th, Jeff Passan stated ($$) "Minnesota has entertained plenty but consummated nothing" in response to a question regarding any remaining "big trades" this offseason. Then, a day later, Dan Hayes quoted Derek Falvey ($$) who stated "...I can tell you we’ve had more active conversations in the last couple of weeks than we’ve had prior..."

      While specifics names and teams weren't mentioned, it's clear that the Twins are doing their diligence whether it's on bigger names like Carlos Correa and Pablo Lopez or salary dump candidates in Willi Castro, Chris Paddack, and Christian Vazquez.

      Are there any Twins on the current roster you'd like to see moved? Any players on other teams you'd like to see added? Let us know in the comments!

      Matthew Trueblood

      This one has nothing to do with the impending decision by Roki Sasaki, but another flamethrowing young pitcher has created another opportunity to pick up a previously committed Latin American talent—and, once again, the nimble Twins are taking advantage.

      Raudy Reyes had a major growth spurt and emerged late on the scene as the top non-Sasaki arm in this class, and the team from suburban Cobb County, Georgia pivoted to sign him, despite the major resource reallocation that required. In so doing, they vacated an informal agreement with Dencer Diaz, an infielder from the Dominican Republic, and the Twins' international scouting department (guided by, among others, Kevin Goldstein) was in position to offer a substantial bonus to snare Diaz on the rebound. This is the second late move they've made as this market opens for 2025, supplementing a class previously viewed as interesting but not exceptional. With Diaz and Teilon Serrano added to their haul, the Twins keep building upon a strong reputation in Latin America.

      Matthew Trueblood

      One of the fascinating and important knock-on effects of the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes is a miniature windfall of international amateur free agents becoming unexpectedly available at the last second, as a new window for signing such players begins Wednesday. This was foreseen. Sasaki's signing bonus with whichever team he selects (it's down to the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays) will have to come from a finite, hard-capped pool of money allotted for each team to spend on these players each year, and since teams strike handshake deals with big-money prospects long before the actual opening of the signing period, whoever signs Sasaki will have to throw back a few high-profile members of their class.

      On Tuesday night, the Twins were the beneficiaries of that situation. Teilon Serrano, a Dominican shortstop-turned-outfielder with impressive tools and a mid-six-figure expected price tag, was set to sign with the Dodgers, but they released him to seek a deal with another team, and Minnesota has swooped in to scoop him up.

      The frequent metaphor for players like these is an accurate one: they're lottery tickets. Serrano is unlikely even to play in the big leagues, let alone to become a star. Still, just as you'd happily take an extra fourth-round draft pick if it were just floating out there for the taking, it's worth pursuing a player like Serrano if your scouts have done some due diligence on him and like what they've seen—and the disruptive influence of Sasaki has given the Twins just such an opportunity.

      Matthew Trueblood

      The name of the game is landing smart people to build and operate your baseball team—but as soon as you do so, the name of the game becomes keeping them. So, from time to time, you have to rename their games. The Twins promoted Josh Kalk, Alex Hassan, and Sean Johnson to assistant general manager roles Tuesday, in a move that partially backfills the promotion of Jeremy Zoll to GM in November. Zoll replaced the outgoing Thad Levine in that job, but still (of course) answers to president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey.

      In Johnson (scouting), Kalk (data and analytics) and Hassan (player development), the team not-so-coincidentally inflated the titles of three people who had taken on chief roles within the three major departments that make up most front offices. Giving them this bump affirms the team's satisfaction with the jobs they've each done, and it shields the team a bit from the risk of losing any of them to another organization. All three were already so established and accomplished with the club, though, that it's hard to envision them leaving for anything short of a GM job elsewhere. That's still possible, but surely not imminent, and now, the three are all incrementally more prominent in their places with the team as they look toward 2025. It's not a true restructuring; it's just a good way to give some essential baseball personnel their due.

      Matthew Trueblood

      In news that could prove to be huge (but is noteworthy, either way), Sportico reported Monday that the Ishbia brothers purchased a small minority stake in the White Sox in 2021. Naturally, to avoid conflicts of interest, MLB will require them to divest themselves from the Sox before buying the Twins, which they do seem to be strongly interested in doing. It's a procedural hurdle, at worst, because it's not as though they've been active in the operation of the team in the short period during which they've had a financial investment there. 

      Still, this is news. When it was first reported that the two might be interested in buying the Twins, it came in the wake of rumors that they had explored buying the White Sox in full from Jerry Reinsdorf. Apparently, they had (instead) made a small investment and stayed behind the scenes there. The Sox are a messy potential purchase right now, as Reinsdorf angles for a new ballpark to replace Comiskey Park II (for so we shall continue to call it) and the organization fights its way out of a deep competitive chasm. It only makes sense that, if the chance is there, the Ishbias will buy the Twins and disentangle themselves from the Sox. That they are involved and interested enough to have stirred the right embers to alert the folks at Sportico tells us something concrete, even if it's only implied.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Ari Alexander reported that several teams are showing interest in 34-year-old right-handed reliever Nick Anderson while Doogie Wolfson reported the Twins are expected to be in attendance.

      Anderson was once a promising arm that couldn't stay on the field. He burst onto the scene in 2019 with the Tampa Bay Rays before injuries got hold of him. He only pitched 57 innings combined in the four seasons of 2020-2023.

      In 2024, he signed with the Royals and had a less-than-spectacular season. His K rate plummeted to just 19% while his expected stats (xERA, FIP) started with a "five".

      Brock Beauchamp

      It felt almost inevitable to hear this, didn't it?

      Jeff Passan of ESPN recently wrote that the Twins front office has been receiving calls inquiring about the availability of starting pitcher Pablo Lopez, who is under contract for the next three seasons.

      Lopez, entering his age-29 season in 2025, is owed $21.75 million per season for the next three seasons. The Twins need to remove approximately $10 million from their payroll before Opening Day to meet budget expectations. They could probably meet that number by trading both Christian Vazquez ($10 million) and Chris Paddack ($7.5 million), or they could get under the number in one fell swoop by trading one of their two large contracts in Pablo Lopez or Carlos Correa.

      The Twins aren't in a rush to trade Lopez but the recent sky-high prices for pitching may cause them to change their minds.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star-Tribune wrote that Derek Falvey is open to bringing back Carlos Santana in 2025.

      Santana was paid $5.25 million in 2024 and is entering his age-39 season. He posted a 109 OPS+ in 2024, his best offensive season since 2019.

      The Twins are already over their 2025 budget by approximately $10 million, give or take a few million. Santana will also likely look for a raise over his 2024 salary and could fetch a contract more in the $7 million range.

      If the Twins are interested in this reunion, they must subtract to add.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star-Tribune wrote up a nice piece on Derek Falvey at the Winter Meetings. In it, he revealed that Falvey has received multiple calls about a potential Carlos Correa trade.

      Yep, it's that time of year. The Twins are already over their projected 2025 payroll of $130 million. They will need to shed somewhere in the vicinity of $10-15 million before the season begins. While they can trade players like Chris Paddack and Christian Vazquez, neither has excess value and will have to be something close to a pure salary dump.

      On the other hand, Correa is due to make $36 million in 2025. Dumping his salary will put the Twins well under budget and allow them to chase multiple, high-octane, $4 million role-players in free agency.

      Carlos Correa has a full no-trade clause. Twins fans can only hope he refuses to waive it.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Alex Speier of The Boston Globe wrote a throwaway line near the bottom of his recent piece about the Red Sox pursuing pitching help this offseason, saying the Twins have "shown little appetite for dealing righthander Pablo Lopez."

      In an offseason completely devoid of Twins rumors, this is good news. Speier is a highly-respected Red Sox beat reporter and is tuned into the Sox's pursuit of high-end starting pitching, which has been active with news since the completion of the 2024 season.

      And the Sox are engaged with almost everybody right now. They've met with every pitcher expected to receive a nine-figure deal. They were runner-up on Juan Soto. They're in on Alex Bregman. They kicked the tires on Willy Adames. They've been circling Garrett Crochet for weeks.

      Long story short, if anybody is keenly aware of who is available on the current market and where they're wasting their time, it's the Boston Red Sox.

      Matthew Lenz

      While it's been mostly speculation to this point, it seems the idea to move Griffin Jax to the starting rotation is picking up steam.

      What started as an interesting article by Eno Sarris of The Athletic ($$) on the impact of a reliever moving into the rotation was followed up by this tweet from Mark Ferrin of MLB Network.

      So nothing set in stone, yet, but definitely more than just speculation at this point.

      Before becoming one of the leagues best relievers, Jax did come up as a starter through the Twins system and even made 14 Big League starts in 2021. He wasn't even a little bit effective as a starter, posting a 6.10 ERA / 6.24 FIP with an abysmal 9.9% K-BB rate. Of course, he's had time to master his craft and it's reasonable to think he would perform much better in a starters role in 2025 and beyond.

      As pointed out by our own Cody Pirkl, it would be an odd move from a roster/organizational perspective.


      Do you think the Twins should move Jax to the rotation?

      Brock Beauchamp

      MLB Trade Rumors released their top 35 trade candidates for the 2024-2025 offseason. To the surprise of absolutely no one in the room, the two Twins that made the list are the biggest salary concerns on a Twins team already over their projected payroll for 2025: catcher Christian Vazquez and pitcher (starter? reliever? mascot?) Chris Paddack.

      Vazquez can be considered a luxury on a Twins team battling baseball economics: he's a good defensive backstop with limited offensive capabilities and is slated to make $10 million in his walk season. Paddack is a different story but a similar payroll concern: he's due to make $7.5 million in 2025 but only made 17 starts last season. It's also uncertain whether the Twins want him in the rotation on Opening Day or would prefer to move him to the bullpen where his velocity and speed has played up in the past.

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