The Twins have decisions to make this offseason. Do they want to trade some of their key veterans to shed more payroll and acquire more young talent? Or do they want to keep them and attempt to return to the playoffs next season? Trade rumors will surround the team until the public knows the direction the organization is headed.
MLB Trade Rumors names righty pitchers Joe Ryan, Pablo López, catcher Ryan Jeffers among top 10 trade candidates
Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey has stated that he intends to keep Ryan and López. However, he also intended to keep righty reliever Louis Varland, but he received a deal for the Minnesota native that, in his mind, was too good to turn down.
Trade rumors regarding Ryan were rampant during the weeks leading up to the trade deadline this past summer. Those rumors have resurfaced now that the offseason has arrived. And now there are trade rumors regarding López, who was sidelined with a right forearm strain for most of the 2025 campaign. Both Ryan and López are under team control through the 2027 season.
Minnesota has a ton of starting pitching depth, with Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews, David Festa, Simeon Woods Richardson, Mick Abel and Taj Bradley in the organization. Because of that, the front office may be tempted to move on from Ryan and/or López to save money and receive more young talent. But if the Twins intend to make the playoffs anytime soon, keeping both aces would be in their best interest. Not to mention, star center fielder Byron Buxton could request a trade if the Twins deal Ryan or López.
If the Twins do end up trading Ryan and/or López, they likely would need an established major league hitter to be the main part of the return. It's unknown whether a team would be willing to offer that.
As for Jeffers, it doesn't make much sense for the Twins to trade the long-time catcher unless they are certain they won't be in the playoffs next year. Sure, the team acquired Alex Jackson from the Orioles, but he is more of a backup. He is a strong defensive catcher who improved offensively last year, but he has yet to display he deserves a starting role, and he will be 30 next season. The Twins should keep Jeffers, who is set to be a free agent after next season, and trade him close to the July 31 deadline if they are in a bad spot in the standings.