Twins are not planning to trade their three veteran stars, per report

Since the offseason began, rumors and speculation have swirled around the possibility of the Twins trading one or multiple of their three veteran stars: Outfielder Byron Buxton and starting pitchers Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez.

Now it sounds like that might not end up happening. According to a new report from insider Ken Rosenthal, the Twins plan on keeping their stars this winter.

“All those fans waiting for their teams to acquire one of the Minnesota Twins’ stars probably can forget it,” Rosenthal wrote in The Athletic. “The Twins do not anticipate moving center fielder Byron Buxton or right-handers Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, according to league sources briefed on their plans. Minnesota’s goal is to keep those players, build around them and compete in 2026.”

Obviously, nothing is guaranteed. Rosenthal acknowledged that the Twins will listen as teams inevitably continue attempts to acquire their best players, but he noted that “it likely would take an overwhelming offer for any of the three to be traded.”

Some skeptical fans may question if this is merely a move by the Twins to try to drive up the price of their big three. Words like “probably” and “plan” and “goal” don’t fully shut the door on the possibility of trades. But Rosenthal is as credible as national baseball insiders come, so if he’s saying the Twins don’t anticipate moving any of those three players, that’s significant.

As we covered on Thursday, Rosenthal had previously noted that the Twins have lacked clarity in their offseason direction over the past few weeks. Apparently they now have some.

“Finances presumably remain an issue, but trades of players such as Ryan and Buxton would further alienate the fan base,” Rosenthal wrote. “Club officials believe the team is talented enough to compete in the AL Central, one of baseball’s weaker divisions. They recently hired a new manager, Derek Shelton. And now that they have clarity from ownership, they believe they have ‘mild flexibility’ to make additions.”

Perhaps this is all a sign that Twins ownership, backed by some new limited minority partners, plans on trying to win in 2026. It’s still totally unclear what the team’s payroll might end up being next year, but any room the front office is granted for spending will be important. If the Twins really are going to build around Buxton, Ryan, and Lopez and attempt to contend, they need to add several bullpen arms and another bat or two, at minimum.

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