While the Twins sit just two games back of a playoff spot, the team's 35-40 record and minus-30 run differential suggest general manager Jeremy Zoll will likely sell at the deadline. ESPN published an article by Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan on Wednesday morning that highlighted the league's top 100 trade candidates, which included eight Twins players.
While many Twins fans already expected the club to trade some key players ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline before the ESPN article, the fact that there are eight Twins players on the list suggests that fans should prepare themselves for another shocking fire sale. Last season, Minnesota traded 10 players from its active roster ahead of the deadline. This year, it appears the club may be heading toward a similar direction.
Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal is No. 1 on ESPN's list. At No. 2 is Twins center fielder Byron Buxton. The article gives Buxton, who is under team control through the 2028 season, a 30% chance of being dealt, which, to be honest, seems a bit high considering the star center fielder has a no-trade clause and made it clear he wants to remain a Twin. Not to say he cannot change his mind, but it seems unlikely at this point.
However, the rest of the Twins on this list have strong chances to be traded. Joe Ryan ranks at No. 4, with a 55% chance of being moved. Ryan appears on the verge of making his second AL All-Star Team this year with a 3.17 ERA, 27.7% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk rate in 82 1/3 innings. Since Ryan is under team control through next season, Minnesota can hold onto him for the rest of the year if it doesn't receive an offer to its liking. However, the looming lockout may convince Zoll to move Ryan as soon as possible.
As expected, catcher Ryan Jeffers is also on this list, ranking at No. 21 with an 85% chance of being traded. Jeffers, currently on the IL with a broken left hamate bone, is slated to be a free agent at the conclusion of the season. The catcher was having a career year before suffering his injury about a month ago, slashing .295/.408/.541 (162 wRC+) with seven homers and 26 RBI across 37 games. He is expected to be reinstated from the IL at some point before the trade deadline.
Buxton, Ryan and Jeffers aren't the only Twins drawing trade interest
Here are the Twins players besides Buxton, Ryan and Jeffers on ESPN's top trade candidates list:
No. 46 - LF Trevor Larnach
Larnach, who is under team control through next season, is an interesting case. Many, including myself, expected the Twins to either non-tender him or trade him in the offseason. However, the Twins agreed to pay the outfielder $4.475 million for this season despite him being an average hitter and below-average fielder for most of his career, and the team having an abundance of talented outfielders in the upper levels of the minors. Larnach has proved his doubters wrong thus far in 2026, slashing .264/.368/.396 (117 wRC+) in 60 games. Now that Larnach has increased his trade value, Minnesota may cash in ahead of the deadline.
No. 55 - LHP Taylor Rogers
Rogers is an obvious trade candidate. The southpaw signed a one-year, $2 million deal with Minnesota this past offseason. It's been an up-and-down year for Rogers thus far; the 35-year-old veteran held a poor 6.10 ERA in 10 1/3 innings through April, then bounced back with a strong May, posting a 2.38 ERA across 11 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, Rogers has had a rough June thus far, recording a 9.53 ERA over 5 2/3 innings.
Even though he's been inconsistent, Rogers should still generate trade buzz this summer. Contending teams are almost always looking for bullpen help, and Rogers' experience plus the fact that he's a lefty should make him an attractive trade target for multiple teams. And while he hasn't struck out many batters this year and has a fastball that sits in the low-90s, he's done a good job limiting walks and hard contact.
No. 70 - 1B/DH Josh Bell
Bell has already been traded four times since making his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016, and he may be on the verge of being traded for the fifth time this summer. Bell signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the Twins in the offseason. He's mainly been a DH for Minnesota but has also played some first base. The veteran's numbers are down this season, with a .240/.295/.385 (87 wRC+) slash line in 72 games, but he's performed much better lately, recording a .319/.347/.536 (143 wRC+) slash line in 72 plate appearances since May 28. If Bell continues to perform well at the plate, teams in need of an offensive boost should be interested in the slugger.
No. 77 C/1B Victor Caratini
It's a bit puzzling to see Caratini, who has slashed .333/.412/.633 (188 wRC+) in 34 plate appearances this month, on this list. The Twins signed Caratini to a two-year, $14 million deal in the offseason. Assuming the Twins don't keep Jeffers past this season, Caratini will presumably become the team's starting catcher next year, a role he is currently serving due to Jeffers being on the IL. If the Twins trade both catchers, they would be left with Alex Jackson as their primary backstop. Minnesota has several promising catching prospects such as Eduardo Tait, Enrique Jimenez and Khadim Diaw, and may select the top catcher in the 2026 Draft class, Georgia Tech's Vahn Lackey, with the third overall pick. However, those prospects likely won't be ready for the majors until 2028 or late 2027, meaning the team would be without an established catcher to start next season if it deals Caratini and doesn't re-sign/extend Jeffers.
No. 94 LHP Anthony Banda
After the Los Angeles Dodgers designated Banda for assignment in the offseason, the club traded the lefty to the Twins for international bonus pool space. Banda had a rough start to his Twins career, posting an 8.27 ERA through May 8. But since then, he's been one of Minnesota's best bullpen arms with a notable increase in velocity, allowing zero earned runs with 13 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings. He's under team control through next season.
We already established that Buxton is likely not going anywhere. Still, if the Twins end up trading everyone else on this list, that's seven players, which, in my opinion, would be deemed another shocking fire sale.
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