The season-ending elbow injury to Pablo López has forced a reality check for the Twins before the regular season has even begun. With their ace now set to undergo Tommy John surgery, questions about Minnesota’s direction are surfacing once again.
Appearing Monday on Fair Territory, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal was asked whether López’s absence could impact how the organization approaches trade discussions involving key players such as Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan.
“I would expect the Twins are going to be sellers, but not just yet,” Rosenthal said Monday.
Rosenthal pointed to the immediate impact López’s injury has on the club’s competitiveness, especially when evaluating how the roster stacks up against the rest of the division.
“Certainly with losing Pablo Lopez, the team is not as competitive as it might have expected,” continued Rosenthal. “But their new ownership, or I should say their shift in control people, to a different Pohlad, he’s talking like they want to compete, and he keeps saying that, and he keeps coming out saying, ‘We intend to be competitive in the AL Central.’ So, I don’t expect a trade of either of those players, Ryan or Buxton, to happen this spring.”
Both Buxton and Ryan have remained popular names in trade speculation dating back to last summer’s deadline when Minnesota reshaped much of its roster but ultimately held onto several cornerstone pieces.
Ryan recently told The Athletic’s Dan Hayes he was “really happy” to still be in Minnesota after the front office opted against dealing López or Buxton earlier in the process. Buxton, meanwhile, has consistently stated his desire to remain with the Twins, even as rumors have continued to circulate.
“All it takes is for somebody at the top to go to the media: ‘We’re not trading you.’ Trade rumors stop,” Buxton said recently.
Ownership, led by controlling owner Tom Pohlad, has been clear in its desire to remain competitive rather than move additional talent. Still, Rosenthal noted that stance may become more difficult to maintain if Minnesota struggles in the standings.
“Could it happen down the line, by the deadline? Certainly could happen if the Twins don’t contend,” Rosenthal reasoned. “And I’m still having a hard time seeing how they will contend. Now, they’re in the forgiving AL Central. That will help. But the Tigers should be really good. The Guardians always seem to figure it out. The White Sox are improving. And the Royals, they see themselves as a contender as well.”
Rosenthal also referenced last July’s deadline decisions and the inherent risk of holding onto players who could have been moved at peak value.
“The Twins are a team that, of course, deconstructed in a major way last July at the deadline. You remember all the players that they moved, Correa being the headliner, but a number of others as well, including really their entire bullpen.”
“At that time, they chose not to trade Joe Ryan, not to trade Pablo Lopez, who was hurt. And the danger when you do that is you’re risking a player or pitcher getting injured or not performing to his previous norms. The Twins, in this case with Pablo Lopez, they were probably going to trade him at the deadline if he was healthy this year.”
“Joe Ryan might have been a trade candidate and still might be a trade candidate for them at the deadline. They talk about competing. The Twins keep saying, ‘we want to compete, we want to be back in the AL Central mix,’ and all that. Well, they haven’t spent enough money to do that, and now they have this question of their rotation without one of their big premier starters.”
Whether Minnesota stays the course or pivots later this summer could ultimately depend on how it navigates the first few months of the season without its ace leading the rotation.