Byron Buxton has repeatedly said he wants to remain with the Twins and wouldn't waive his full no-trade clause. Yet, that doesn't stop the media from constantly speculating whether he could be traded. Sure, Buxton could always change his mind on wanting to stay a Twin, but it's almost reached the point where he could say "I'm not waiving my no-trade clause" every single day and people would still throw his name around in trade rumors. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's how many Twins fans who know Buxton's situation feel.
Tim Kelly, who covers Philadelphia sports for OnPattison and MLB for Bleacher Report, asked Buxton if he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause, specifically to join the Phillies. As expected, Buxton said, "I ain't going nowhere."
I asked Byron Buxton if there would be any wiggle room on waiving his no-trade clause if the Phillies were interested in trading for him: “I ain’t going nowhere.”
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) July 13, 2026
The Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale and the New York Post's Jon Heyman also reported yesterday that Buxton has no plans to waive his no-trade clause.
It's not like this is breaking news. Buxton declared at last year's All-Star Game media day that he wants to be a Twin for life. He then reiterated his loyalty in the offseason.
Once again, Buxton declared he has no plans to leave Minnesota roughly four months ago, per The Athletic's Dan Hayes. No matter what Buxton says, the trade rumors keep following him.
If Buxton changed his mind about waiving his no-trade clause and the Twins wanted to trade him, Minnesota would get a monstrous haul in return. While he's injury-prone and 32 years old, he's arguably the best center fielder in baseball and is on an extremely team-friendly contract for a player of his caliber, under team control through 2028 at a little more than $15 million per season.
But those are reasons to keep Buxton, not trade him. He's following in the footsteps of legends Kirby Puckett and Joe Mauer, both players who spent their entire careers with Minnesota. Buxton may not be a Hall of Famer like Puckett and Mauer, but like those two players, he's established himself as the team's franchise player of his era.
Twins' Byron Buxton could make Hall of Fame
While it seems unlikely that Buxton will reach the Hall of Fame due to various injuries that have derailed his career, it's certainly not impossible. Usually, players get into the Hall of Fame conversation at around 50 bWAR. Right now, Buxton is at 32.9 career bWAR. The center fielder has accumulated 3.1 bWAR this year.
Let's say Buxton finishes the season strong after he returns from the injured list and completes the season with 5.0 bWAR. If that happens, he'd be at 34.8 career bWAR. If Buxton can post around 4-5 bWAR for three or four more seasons, then some writers will certainly consider voting him into the Hall of Fame. Even if he doesn't reach Cooperstown, Buxton will forever be a Twins legend.
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