Twins Attempting To Trade Two Players At Trade Deadline
Whether ownership lets them execute it is the open question.
Per Pat Ragazzo of Athlon Sports, sources say the Twins' front office would like to move starter Joe Ryan and catcher Ryan Jeffers at the deadline to accelerate the rebuild.
The complication, per the same report, is that new owner Tom Pohlad may want to push the envelope and add to the roster given how weak the American League has been this season.
Why the Twins Are Caught in the Middle
Minnesota is 38-42, a record that places them third in the AL Central but only 3.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot in a conference where nobody has separated themselves.
That is the exact scenario that makes a sell-off complicated.
The Twins were deep into discussions involving Ryan last deadline before a teardown that saw them trade 11 major leaguers off their 26-man roster, and they came close to dealing Ryan before the Red Sox backed out of a deal.
Per @ragazzoreport, the Minnesota Twins are willing to trade Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers at this year's deadline.
— Jacob Levine (@408Jake) June 23, 2026
However, owner Tom Pohlad appears to want to add to the roster instead, mainly due to how weak the AL is. pic.twitter.com/dX5QhvJAO2
Twins fans then took another gut punch when the Pohlad family pulled the team off the market after a failed attempt to sell.
The 2026 season has been smothered in apathy even as the team sits within striking distance of a playoff spot.
The Two Names on the Block
Ryan would be one of the best starting pitchers available on the market if Minnesota makes him available.
The 30-year-old is having the best season of his career, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.99 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts across 16 starts and 87.1 innings.
His 22.9 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate ranks among the best in baseball, trailing only names like Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes, Jacob deGrom, and Cristopher Sanchez.
He carries a mutual option for 2027 before he can become a free agent ahead of the 2028 season, giving an acquiring team more than a pure rental.
ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel ranked Ryan as the fourth-best player potentially available at the deadline and put his odds of being traded at 55 percent.
TROUBLE IN THE TWIN CITIES.
— Matthew Crory (@matthewcrory) June 22, 2026
Minnesota #Twins front office and new Owner Tom Pohlad seem to have different ideas of the direction the Twins are headed with the FO looking to move “Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers at the trade deadline to accelerate the rebuild” but “Pohlad may want to… pic.twitter.com/H6YXVG6Wj9
Jeffers is on the injured list, recovering from May 20 surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left wrist, but the 29-year-old is expected back before the deadline.
Before going down, Jeffers was one of the top hitting catchers in baseball, slashing .295/.408/.541 with a .949 OPS, seven home runs, and 26 RBIs in 37 games.
His right-handed bat would be a perfect fit for the New York Yankees, who, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, are making it no secret that they want him.
Jeffers is a free agent after the season, and the Twins have Victor Caratini capable of handling fuller duties if he is moved.
