It appears likely the Twins will keep Joe Ryan for the rest of the season despite the numerous trade-deadline rumors involving his name. Minnesota went out and acquired right-handed reliever Tommy Nance from the Toronto Blue Jays last week. While that isn't a blockbuster move by any means, it proves that the Twins have their sights on winning, not selling this year.
Ryan, who is under team control through next season, has long been viewed by many as a top trade candidate. It all started when trade deadline rumors ramped up last season. The Boston Red Sox were one of the more notable teams linked to the ace last summer.
In fact, for a brief moment last summer, the baseball world was led to believe that the Twins had traded Ryan to the Red Sox. In the final hour of last year's trade deadline, MLB on Fox put out a "breaking news" alert on X stating that Boston acquired Ryan from Minnesota. A few minutes later, the post was deleted.
FanSided's Adam Weinrib (Co-host of the Baseball Insiders Podcast) asked Ryan about the wild moment at All-Star Game media day on Monday.
"It reached my phone. I got a couple calls," Ryan said. "People were asking if I had gotten a call yet about being traded or something. But I didn't."
Joe Ryan is a huge reason the Twins are in the thick of the playoff race
Thankfully, Ryan, 30, is still with the Twins. He earned his second-straight All-Star Game nod this year. During the first half of this season, the right-hander posted a 2.85 ERA with a 28.4% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate in 110 1/3 innings across 20 starts.
Ryan is a huge reason Minnesota entered the All-Star break tied with the Seattle Mariners for the third American League Wild Card spot. Granted, a weak American League is also a major reason why Minnesota is in playoff contention, as the club is one game below .500 with a 48-49 record. Still, without Ryan, who has been worth 3.3 fWAR so far in 2026, it's hard to imagine the Twins would have any chance of reaching the postseason.
The Twins simply cannot trade Ryan if they want to reach the playoffs. One could argue that dealing Ryan would be the right move, as his trade value will most likely decrease in the offseason and it seems unlikely the two sides will agree to an extension any time soon. However, this Twins team appears to have a real shot at reaching the postseason, where anything can happen.
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