The Minnesota Twins have some important decisions to make ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. One of the most important is the future of Joe Ryan. After reportedly coming close to dealing Ryan to the Boston Red Sox at last year’s trade deadline, Ryan’s name is in the rumor mill even as the Twins pursue a playoff spot, but all of that could be put to rest with a contract extension.
While Ryan is under team control through the 2027 season, the Twins would be smart to sign him to an extension now. But while securing Ryan should be a top priority, he isn’t the only Twins pitcher who deserves an extension as the front office would benefit greatly from an extension with Taj Bradley.
Twins would benefit greatly from a Taj Bradley extension
Bradley arrived in Minnesota in a deal involving Griffin Jax at last year’s trade deadline. While he got off to a rocky start with an 0-2 record, 6.61 ERA, 23.8 percent strikeout rate and 8.9 percent walk rate in 31.1 innings, he has rebounded and become a top-of-the-rotation arm for the Twins this season.
Bradley’s numbers are one area of growth as he comes out of the All-Star break with a 9-3 record and a 3.59 ERA. He also has increased his strikeout rate to 27.4 percent and refined a cutter that has generated a 39 percent whiff rate according to Baseball Savant.
But for as good as that number is, the one that should factor into a potential extension is 25. With Bradley not turning 26 until next March, he is one of the Twins' most high-upside arms and one that is already performing at a high enough level to be locked in past his scheduled free agency after the 2028 season.
Looking around the league, it’s a move that many teams are making. The Cincinnati Reds announced on Thursday that they agreed to a seven-year, $105 million contract with Chase Burns as he rips through his first full season in the major leagues (11-1, 2.54 ERA). Colt Emerson of the Seattle Mariners, JJ Wetherholt of the St. Louis Cardinals and Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers have also signed long-term deals to keep their prices down and lock into their current teams for the foreseeable future.
Bradley is a little further into his career but he could still get paid. The Burns deal should be the first one Bradley’s camp should be seeking, but the Twins could also do something similar to the four-year, $73.5 million contract Pablo López signed shortly after his arrival in 2023.
It’s also noteworthy that the deal would have to be adjusted for the current market, but that wouldn’t be a big hindrance based on Tom Pohlad’s recent comments regarding the team’s payroll.
“We might have a magical year this year, but a $100 million payroll is not going to get the job done for trying to accomplish the kinds of things we want to accomplish,” Pohlad said via The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. “This is a build and they will come situation. The fans are not going to come back based on words. They’re going to come back once they see investment in the team and success on the field. I know that.”
Pohlad also mentioned Bradley by name when discussing the potential of signing young players to long-term deals last March.
“Taj Bradley, Luke Keaschall, Mick Abel – we want those guys to be a part of this organization for a long time,” Pohlad said via The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman, now of AaronGleeman.com. “Of course, we’re going to find every opportunity we can to make them a Twin as long as we can.”
For a fan base that has major trust issues with ownership, signing Bradley to an extension would be a step in the right direction. The Twins could even lock in their rotation down the line by signing Ryan as well, but recent history suggests that might be getting ahead of ourselves.
In any event, the Twins would be wise to start discussing a Bradley extension sooner rather than later and it could be a decision that finally puts some investment into the team.
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