On the heels of the MLB trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins did the unthinkable. They tore it all down. Ten players from the active 26-man roster traded. Eleven players in total gone. What’s left is a skeleton of a team, barely recognizable, stumbling toward the finish line of what was supposed to be a contending season. The message from the front office couldn’t be clearer: the rebuild is on. And it’s going to be long and painful.
Left standing amid the wreckage is Byron Buxton .
The Twins didn’t trade Buxton at the deadline. Not for lack of value, not for lack of interest from other teams, but because they couldn’t. He holds a no-trade clause, and he used it. He’s made it abundantly clear: he wants to be in Minnesota. He wants to finish his career here. He wants to raise his family here. He wants to be a Twin for life. And now, with the dust settled and the roster stripped bare, Buxton and Pablo López are the only two players on the team with guaranteed contracts for next season.
Buxton’s loyalty hasn’t wavered. Through losing seasons. Through devastating injuries. Through criticism from fans. Through front office changes and managerial shifts and roster reshuffles. He’s endured it all. And this year, he finally put it together. Healthy. Confident. Explosive. A legitimate MVP candidate. He’s been everything the Twins dreamed of when they made him the No. 1 overall pick. He’s been the heart and soul of the team.
And the front office repaid that by tearing down everything around him.
This wasn’t a case of retooling or tweaking. This was a fire sale. This was the front office lighting the house on fire and handing Buxton a fire extinguisher and saying, “Good luck.” And it’s brutal. Because Buxton deserves so much more than this.
He’s given everything to this franchise. His body. His best years. His faith. His loyalty. He didn’t ask for a trade. He didn’t make demands. He didn’t criticize the team. Even when it would’ve been completely understandable for him to want out, he stayed. And now he’s stuck in the twilight of his prime, playing out a career year on a team that has no chance in the short term, surrounded by rookies and journeymen and placeholders, and no guarantee that he’ll still be the same player by the time the team comes out on the other side.
The worst part is, he won’t say anything. That’s not who he is. He’s not going to throw ownership under the bus. He’s not going to complain to the media. He’s going to keep playing, keep leading, keep smiling. But inside? You have to believe this hurts. You have to believe that somewhere deep down, Byron Buxton is heartbroken.
He should be chasing a playoff berth right now. He should be the centerpiece of a competitive team. Instead, he’s the last man standing on a sinking ship. And even though he chose to stay, the Twins essentially told him, “You can stay, but you’re going to be alone.”
It’s frustrating. It’s infuriating.
Byron Buxton has done everything right. And the Minnesota Twins, his team, his organization, his home, have failed him.
What do you think about what the trade deadline says to Byron Buxton? Let us know in the comments.