Report: Twins Open Door To Major Starting Pitcher Trade

The Minnesota Twins have more starting pitching than they know what to do with, and according to the Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale, that's finally going to force some movement this winter.

Nightengale reports the Twins are open to trading from their rotation depth, with four veterans worth watching: Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, Dean Kremer, and Bailey Ober.

All four can reach free agency after the 2027 season, and that shared timeline is why Nightengale believes Minnesota is more likely than not to move one of them this offseason.

A Logjam That's Been Building For A While

The math makes it obvious why something has to give. Minnesota currently has eight pitchers who could reasonably compete for a rotation spot, once you factor in Taj Bradley and the club's younger arms pushing for time.

Ryan's name has already made the rounds this year.

This is different. Minnesota itself is now the one indicating it's open to moving a starter, rather than someone else proposing the idea from outside.

Lopez is coming off Tommy John surgery and is owed $21.5 million over the next two seasons, a number that still looks like good value if he's fully healthy. Ober has bounced between brilliant stretches and rough ones the past two years, while Kremer has quietly settled in as a steady back-end piece since joining the Twins.

Nothing in Nightengale's reporting points to one specific name getting moved over the others. 

The rotation crunch is there, as are the expiring timelines, and Minnesota has options. Which of the four actually gets dealt is the part that's yet to be determined.