Joe Ryan and the Twins avoided arbitration at the last minute on Monday, agreeing to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027 that guarantees the All-Star pitcher $6.2 million, according to multiple league sources.

His deal includes a $13 million mutual option for 2027 that pays out $100,000 if either side opts out, taking his $6.1 base salary to the $6.2 mark

When the sides originally filed to go to arbitration earlier this month, Ryan — who last season earned his first All-Star nod when he went 13-10 with a 3.42 ERA — asked for $6.35 million while the Twins countered at $5.85 million. The case was set to be heard Tuesday in Phoenix, according to a person with knowledge of the process.

One league source described the agreement as rare, noting it’d been nine years since a team and starting pitcher “exchanged numbers and then reached a settlement with a guarantee $100,000 above the midpoint.”

Ryan, who initially believed he’d been traded to the Boston Red Sox at the July 31 deadline last season, was said to be frustrated when the sides couldn’t reach an agreement before the Jan. 8 deadline. The right-hander didn’t appear at the team’s fan festival this weekend, though it’s unclear if Ryan — who’s a new father and is preparing to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic — skipped the event because of his contract situation.

Ryan is one of two Twins players set to be part of the Team USA roster for the WBC. (Brace Hemmelgarn / Minnesota Twins / Getty Images)

The Twins agreed to one-year deals with all of their other arbitration-eligible players (Ryan Jeffers, Bailey Ober, Royce Lewis, Alex Jackson, Trevor Larnach and Cole Sands) ahead of the Jan. 8 deadline.

New Twins executive chair Tom Pohlad recently attended lunches with Ryan and Byron Buxton in California and Georgia, respectively, to drive home each player’s importance to the team.

“If our fans are unclear on what the direction of the team is, I have to imagine people in the organization are and our players are,” Pohlad said. “I wanted to reach out to those guys and do the exact same thing I’m doing with (media) or the fans. Where have we been? Where are we going? And how can they help us get there? I think it’s important. We need leaders in the clubhouse. We need leaders in the front office. We need leaders in ownership. We have to be aligned across the board. That alignment starts with a relationship being the foundation for trust.

“That was an effort to go do that.”

Additional notes from TwinsFest:

— Pablo López, who sat with Pohlad after Friday’s season-opening news conference, “heard all the rumors” as it pertained to potential trades of Ryan and himself during the offseason. Traded twice already, López let the Twins front office know he wanted to stick around and is happy he’s here.

“It’s not real until it happens,” López said. “The one thing I told the front office, I would like to be a part of this rotation going forward. When we trade for guys like Taj Bradley and Mick Abel, I was like these are really fun guys to be around. These are fun guys. I mean, they’re not my projects or anything. But just to be in the rotation with them where I may have an opportunity to have the slightest impact with the way I go about my business, it can go a long way.”

López, who missed three months with a Grade 2 teres major strain and finished the season on the injured list after diving on a play resulted in a “mild mid-forearm strain,” had a normal offseason and wants to pitch for Venezuela in the WBC.

— Bailey Ober is back in Florida working on hip mobility and mechanics after spending several weeks in Sarasota in October doing the same thing. The 30-year-old experienced hip issues during the middle of the 2025 season that resulted in a trip to the IL and poor pitching mechanics.

Ober went 6-9 with a 5.10 ERA in 27 starts in what he described as his worst season ever, dating to Little League. He likes the early progress he’s made on his mechanics.

“From the way I’m feeling on the mound and the way the ball is coming out, and then watching video, it’s a big difference, at least in my eyes, from where I was,” Ober said.

— Even though he expressed interest in a reunion with the Twins in early December, reliever Taylor Rogers didn’t hear from the team until Wednesday. The sides then quickly agreed to a one-year deal worth $2 million and the left-hander traveled to Minneapolis on Thursday to take his physical and attend the fan festival.

Rogers, who went 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA in 50 2/3 innings last season, said he wanted to play for new Twins manager Derek Shelton.

An 11th-round draft pick by the Twins, Taylor Rogers spent his first six big league seasons in Minnesota. (Brad Rempel / USA Today)

“If he was managing a team in Fargo, N.D., I would want to go there,” Rogers said. “Same with an opportunity to work with LaTroy (Hawkins) in the bullpen. … We lost 103 games (in 2016). We were thin in the pen with a full 40-man roster (and in) 2017 we make the playoffs. There’s no reason we can’t do that again.”

— Catcher Victor Caratini liked the opportunity presented by the Twins, who officially announced his two-year deal worth $14 million on Friday. The team also announced Rogers’ signing with reliever Pierson Ohl and catcher Johnny Pereda designated for assignment to make space on the team’s 40-man roster.

“I’d heard good things about the team,” Caratini said. “It’s a young team combined with veteran guys and I’m excited to be here. … We’ve got Pablo at the top and Ryan, too. We’ve got really good pitching. My job is to try and be on the same page as those guys as quick as possible to try to help.”

— Now 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery, second baseman Luke Keaschall feels much more confident in his arm strength and being smoother with his throwing actions than he was during the 2025 season. Baseball Savant said Keaschall posted a -1 Fielding Run Value while FanGraphs said he produced one Defensive Run Saved.

The Twins also hinted that Keaschall potentially could play some outfield this season, a point that didn’t seem to bother the second-year player. Keaschall batted .302/.382/.445 in 207 plate appearances and was named the team’s rookie of the year.

“I’m a ballplayer,” Keaschall said. “I’ll play wherever you want me to play. If you want to move me somewhere, cool. I’ll be able to play winning baseball there. … I’m ready for whatever they want.”

— After he arrived at Triple-A St. Paul last season, top Twins prospect Walker Jenkins says it dawned on him how close he is to reaching the majors. Jenkins batted .286/.399/.451 with 29 extra-base hits in 371 plate appearances across four levels last season. Though it’s highly unlikely he’d start this season in the big leagues, Jenkins said he feels ready.

“If I wasn’t ready, there would be an issue,” Jenkins said. “Maybe there would be a little grace period there before I played the way I wanted to, but I’ll figure it out.”

— The Twins announced Friday that 2024 first-rounder Kaelen Culpepper, Jenkins, Kyler Fedko and Kala’i Rosario all would be invited to big-league camp this spring. The club also announced that former play-by-play man Dick Bremer was elected to the team’s Hall of Fame and will be inducted by the team on July 11.