Trade Idea Moves Twins' Byron Buxton to Phillies

Trade Idea Moves Twins’ Byron Buxton to Phillies originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The Boston Red Sox may have started a new trend in their trade of Rafael Devers: using the trade market to offload a superstar previously signed to lengthy, big-money deals.

In 2023, Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million extension to his already-existing contract, which was set to expire at the end of the season. The financial commitments the Red Sox had to the slugger did not deter them from moving him just one and a half years into the deal, as they traded him to the San Francisco Giants.

Such a transaction has only happened one other time in MLB history – when the Miami Marlins traded Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees three years into a 13-year, $325 million deal in 2018.

That beckons a double-barreled question: When will this kind of deal happen again, and who will it involve? According to Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer, the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies should field calls to each other about All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton, a player who also won a Gold Glove Award in 2017.

Buxton is currently in year four of a seven-year, $100 million deal with the Twins.

Jul 31, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) celebrates his solo home run against the New York Mets with teammates in the dugout during the second inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

“Buxton’s long-term future… remains suspect. He is keeping up his act as a two-way star when he does play, but he’s a 31-year-old with one of the most cluttered injury histories in recent memory. And as such, the Twins should be wondering if this is their last best chance to sell high on him,” Rymer wrote.

“Because he has full no-trade protection, he’ll only go anywhere if he wants to. But if the Twins present him with a chance to spend the rest of his prime with a proper World Series contender, it could be hard for him to turn it down.”

Rymer sees the Phillies as an ideal trade destination for Buxton because he would fulfill a need the team has been missing for years.

“Not since the early days of Odúbel Herrera’s career have the Phillies had a reliable regular in center field, much less a star. They have managed to succeed despite this, but that should raise questions about how far they could go if they actually went out and got a star to roam the middle of their outfield,” Rymer wrote.

“A trade for Buxton would fit the bill, and such a deal would be right up Dave Dombrowski’s alley.”

Through 57 games this season, Buxton is hitting .280 with 15 home runs, 45 RBIs, 12 stolen bases, a .898 OPS, and 2.6 WAR (according to Baseball Reference).

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.

Trade Idea Moves Twins’ Byron Buxton to Phillies

Tags: