Joe Ryan criticizes Twins' decision to let Sonny Gray walk in free agency
In an article from Phill Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune, Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan shared what he believed to be the Twins' "biggest mistake" in the last two years.
“If we had re-signed Sonny [Gray], I can guarantee we would have been in the playoffs last year, and we’d probably be in a better spot this year," Ryan said.
After the Twins won their first playoff series in 21 years two seasons ago, ownership decided to shed payroll for the 2024 season, which led to a late-season collapse after the Twins had led the division for much of the year. The Twins then added only a few affordable free agents for the 2025 season before trading all of them along with nearly 40% of the team ahead of this summer's trade deadline.
Gray, who signed a three-year contract worth $75MM with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2023-24 offseason, was one of the key pieces of the Twins' 2023 team, posting 5.4 fWAR and a 2.79 ERA (2.83 FIP) with a 24.3% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate in 184 innings en route to finishing second in American League Cy Young Award voting.
“In my opinion, [letting Gray walk in free agency] goes down as the biggest mistake we have made since I’ve been here," Ryan said. "He wanted to come back.”
Did the Twins make a mistake in letting Sonny Gray walk in free agency?
Although Gray hasn't had the success he had in the 2023 season since signing with the St. Louis Cardinals, he has still been a solid starting pitcher since moving on from Minnesota. In 2024, Gray posted 3.8 fWAR and a 3.84 ERA (3.12 FIP) with a 30.3% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate in 166 1/3 innings. Gray has struggled a bit in 2025, posting a 4.43 ERA, but has still managed a solid 3.49 FIP, 26.3% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate in 158 1/3 innings.
Gray was 34 years old after the 2023 season, so the Twins were likely turned off at the idea of re-signing Gray at $25MM per year due to his age. Although given the team's disastrous 2025 season and last year's historic collapse, it's difficult not to imagine that having Gray would have changed the Twins' fortune over the past couple of seasons.
It wouldn't be shocking if Ryan ends up requesting a trade this upcoming offseason after his latest comments on Gray, and it's possible the Twins already are planning to move him this winter anyway.