{"id":524920,"date":"2026-01-17T10:10:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T10:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/524920\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T10:10:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T10:10:24","slug":"joe-ryan-withdraws-from-minnesota-twins-event-before-world-baseball-classic-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/524920\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Ryan Withdraws From Minnesota Twins Event Before World Baseball Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Twins<\/a> are preparing for a pivotal 2026 season, but one of their most important players will not be part of the team\u2019s annual fan showcase.<\/p>\n

Right\u2011handed starter Joe Ryan, who has quietly developed into a cornerstone of the rotation, has withdrawn from participating in TwinsFest, the organization\u2019s winter event that traditionally brings players and fans together before spring training.<\/p>\n

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The decision comes as Ryan shifts his focus toward the upcoming World Baseball Classic, where he is expected to play a key role for Team USA.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoe Ryan is not expected to attend TwinsFest, per a team source. Ryan has been removed from the lineup of Twins players scheduled to make an appearance,\u201d reported Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic.<\/p>\n

TwinsFest is one of the franchise\u2019s signature offseason traditions, held each January as a way to connect players with the fan base.<\/p>\n

The event typically features autograph sessions, Q&A panels, interactive games and opportunities for fans to meet their favorite players. For the organization, it serves as both a celebration of the past season and a rallying point for the year ahead.<\/p>\n

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Ryan\u2019s absence is notable, given his rising profile and importance to the team\u2019s outlook in 2026.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old is coming off his best season to date. In 2025, he posted a 13\u201110 record with a 3.42 ERA and 194 strikeouts across 171 innings, earning his first All\u2011Star selection. His performance solidified him as one of the most reliable arms in the Twins\u2019 rotation, and his presence will be critical as Minnesota looks to rebound from a disappointing 70\u201192 campaign.<\/p>\n

However, his offseason has already been marked by headlines, as he and the Twins failed to reach a contract agreement before the arbitration deadline. His 2026 salary will now be decided by an arbitration panel, with the team offering $5.85 million and Ryan\u2019s camp filing for $6.35 million.<\/p>\n

The decision to skip TwinsFest likely underscores Ryan\u2019s commitment to preparing for the World Baseball Classic, where he will represent Team USA.<\/p>\n

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The tournament, which brings together the best players from around the globe, is a unique opportunity for Ryan to showcase his talent on an international stage. For the Twins, it means their ace will be sharpening his skills against elite competition before returning to the club for the regular season.<\/p>\n

While fans may be disappointed not to see Ryan at TwinsFest, his focus on the WBC highlights the balance between individual goals and team obligations.<\/p>\n

If he can carry his strong form into both the international tournament and the MLB season, Ryan\u2019s absence from the winter event will be quickly overshadowed by his impact on the mound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Minnesota Twins are preparing for a pivotal 2026 season, but one of their most important players will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":524921,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2388],"tags":[30986,5,1455,822,60,3190,4,148,67936,4820],"class_list":{"0":"post-524920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-twins","8":"tag-aaron-gleeman","9":"tag-baseball","10":"tag-joe-ryan","11":"tag-minnesota","12":"tag-minnesota-twins","13":"tag-minnesotatwins","14":"tag-mlb","15":"tag-twins","16":"tag-twinsfest","17":"tag-world-baseball-classic"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115909900578678529","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/524921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}