As the trade deadline approached, it became clear that the Minnesota Twins were going to be sellers. To what degree was the question? It originally appeared as if Minnesota would try to keep the core intact and instead deal away veterans on expiring contracts, such as Willi Castro and Harrison Bader.
However, when the moment came, it became clear that the Twins were much more than run-of-the-mill sellers, with the shocking Carlos Correa deal signaling a larger shift towards a rebuild. Coming back to the Twins in that trade was lefty Matt Mikulski, who is nothing more than minor league fodder, with the real win being getting Correa's contract off the books, something that Minnesota paid handsomely to achieve.
Trading a player like Correa for pennies on the dollar, and forking over $33 million to get his contract off the books, is a tell-tale sign of a near-full-scale teardown. While the Twins did hold on to some key pieces like starter Joe Ryan, that doesn't mean that a rebuild isn't in the cards; it simply means that they're going to be patient with their most valuable trade asset while they have him under team control for the next two seasons.
One might think that this clear pivot in direction would have ruffled the feathers of Minnesota's franchise player, Byron Buxton, but it appears that the Twins star has signed off on the new plan of action.
Twins star Byron Buxton stands by the club in the face of a rebuild
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Twins front office reached out to Buxton to ask if he wanted to stay throughout the upcoming rebuild, and his answer was a resounding "yes."
On face value, that may seem strange. The oft-injured 31-year-old has been mostly healthy this season and is putting up superstar-like numbers that everyone knew he'd be capable of if he could just stay on the field.
After missing so much time and staring down the end of his prime, it would be easy and understandable for Buxton to ask out and desire to play out his days somewhere else where he could compete for a championship. Instead, what we're seeing is an impressive amount of loyalty from the face of the franchise in an era where that has become a dying trait.
Looking deeper, however, it makes sense. The Twins have always stood by Buxton throughout all the injuries and the inconsistencies earlier in his career. It seems as if he is now willing to extend the same patience to his club as they move into the next chapter.
Buxton negotiated a no-trade clause in his contract for a reason, and despite interest from multiple contenders, Buxton made one thing clear: he wants to be a Twin for life.