Joe Ryan just got paid and it's the best news Twins fans have heard all offseason

Twins fans, look around and hug your loved ones. All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan and the Minnesota Twins' potentially nasty arbitration case is nothing to worry about anymore as the two parties have come to a settlement.

That's as big of a win as Twins fans can ask for right now.

Fans were extremely nervous about Joe Ryan's future in Minnesota after Ryan filed for $6.35 million ahead of arbitration, and the Twins penciled him in at $5.85 million. It was a marginal difference, but one big enough that set up for an arbitration case that no one wins at the end of the day.

Thankfully though, the parties came to an agreement on Monday afternoon as Ryan settled on a $6.2 million deal for the 2026 season with a mutual option for $13 million in 2027. We're just glad this got done before a hearing, and also before pitchers and catchers reported for Spring Training.

Joe Ryan's arbitration hearing won't happen after Twins agree to $6.1 million deal in 2026

This would have been a distraction that everyone would have liked to have avoided this year. Fans were already growing nervous after learning that Ryan would not be in attendance for TwinsFest this year. Was there animosity? Did Ryan have personal reasons for not making it to the event? Either way, hopefully this settlement is enough for both parties to be satisfied with. Arbitration hearings can get nasty, and just as the Twins are looking to turn a corner and be a good, contending team in 2026, the last thing they needed was to have their star pitcher be unhappy with ownership and the front office.

This is a solid jump up in pay for Ryan, too, who was paid $3 million last year. The Twins were rewarded mightily for this deal, as Ryan handed in his first All-Star season, doing so with a 4.5 bWAR, 3.42 ERA, 194 strikeouts, and 1.035 WHIP in 171 innings.

Joe Ryan has blossomed into one of the best pitchers in the American League, so it was an obligation for the Twins to find a way to agree to a deal with him. It's January, several months away from the Twins possibly making the playoffs, but fans can celebrate this win. That dark cloud no longer needs to loom over whether Ryan will get paid fairly, thus making him happy or unhappy. It was a great move by Minnesota to get this done before anyone arrived to Spring Training. Now the focus can just be on that.