Credit: William Parmeter
If you have followed the Minnesota Twins at all over the past six months, then you’ve seen/heard the many trade rumors involving starting pitcher Joe Ryan. At one point during last season’s trade deadline teardown, the 29-year-old actually thought he was being traded, just to find out that he was staying moments later.
Ryan has also been vocal over the Twins’ decision to let Sonny Gray walk after the 2023 season, and openly told reporters that he’d welcome a trade if it meant a better chance to win.
Then this offseason, Ryan nearly forced Minnesota into arbitration, before the two sides eventually settled on a one year deal a couple weeks ago that includes a mutual option for 2027.
Minnesota Twins did enough to appease Joe Ryan
MN Twins pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training on Tuesday. Ryan, along with most other pitchers, have been in Fort Myers for most of the week.
That allowed him to chat with Dan Hayes (The Athletic), where Ryan cleared the air over recent differences with his employer. In essence, once he found out Pablo Lopez and Byron Buxton were coming back… he was all in again.
“I’m really happy to be here. If they started shipping off more guys, it would have been a little bit harder. But we’ve got Buck and Pablo here, (Bailey Ober is) here and (Ryan) Jeffers is here — the guys that have been here since I got here. There’s a few of us left. I think the young guys are great and (we’ve got) a lot of guys to build around. We’ll be in a good spot.”
As things stand entering Spring Training, Ryan is cemented in as Minnesota’s No. 2 starter, behind Pablo Lopez. The hope is that both frontline starters can stay healthy for an entire summer.
Last year Ryan had a career-low 3.42 ERA (3.74 FIP) , which earned him his first All-Star Game appearance. Joe faded a bit down the stretch, but that happens sometimes when the team you’re playing for gave up months earlier.
2025 PitchingNinja Sweeper of the Year Award. 🏆
Winner: Joe Ryan
30.5 inches of Horizontal Break 😳 pic.twitter.com/S1TS4IkeXg
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) November 8, 2025
MN Twins pitching depth excites Joe Ryan
Last season the Minnesota Twins had 37 different players throw a pitch. 16 different arms started a game for Rocco Baldelli. Starting pitching depth is not something you can ever have enough of, and Joe Ryan is excited about the youth.
“They all look really good and have a ton of potential. That’s super exciting. I think we’re really lucky to have them. I think they’re going to make some really good strides this year and perform well for the team.”
Minnesota acquired both Mick Abel and Taj Bradley at the trade deadline last year. They’ll pair with Zebby Matthews, David Festa, and Simeon Woods Richardson. The young contingent is largely unproven, but there’s a reason to believe the ceiling could produce strong results.
At the end of the day, any angst from Ryan has always been rooted in a desire to compete. What’s left from that trade deadline teardown still can accomplish that goal. Ryan might not be thrilled about the situation, but he clearly seems ok with the haphazard attempt to try.
Mentioned in this article: Joe Ryan Spring Training
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