Most Twins fans agree that trading Joe Ryan this winter would be a bad idea. He was the clear ace of the staff last season, making the American League All-Star Team and posting a 3.42 ERA with a 28.2% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate in 171 innings. However, his second-half regression is impossible to ignore, as Ryan had a 4.67 ERA after the All-Star Break. The Twins should still hold onto Ryan, but they should also keep his regression in mind.
It was previously reported that the Twins plan on retaining Ryan and Pablo López next season, but Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo suggested that the Twins would trade Ryan for the right price.
“If you start a Joe Ryan package with one of your major-league outfielders and one of the pitchers that broke through — whether that be a [Hunter] Dobbins or [a Connelly] Early or a [Payton] Tolle, I know those are varying degrees of value — I think you probably can get something done for anybody, especially if you include [Jarren] Duran or [Wilyer] Abreu or [Ceddanne] Rafaela," Cotillo said on the October 6 episode of the Fenway Rundown podcast.
Twins fans don't know how to feel about Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo's proposed Joe Ryan trade package
If the Twins trade Ryan, who has two years of control remaining, to the Red Sox for the package Cotillo suggested, Twins fans will be conflicted. The obvious downside of the potential move would be that Minnesota loses arguably its best starting pitcher. The rotation took a huge hit when Ryan got hurt late in 2024, and it took a similar hit when López got hurt last season. With that in mind, it feels as if the Twins need both of their aces on the roster to compete for the playoffs.
There are also some positives Twins fans can take away from this trade proposal. First, it should be noted that the Twins added significant starting pitching depth through trades this past summer, acquiring Mick Abel, Taj Bradley and Kendry Rojas. The Twins also have Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Mathews and David Festa (although he may be sidelined for the majority of the year) for 2026. Therefore, while Ryan has clearly been the most valuable starting pitcher the Twins have besides López, the team has plenty of starting pitching. And, in Cotillo's proposal, the Twins would replace Ryan with a young starting pitcher while also adding an established major league outfielder.
Duran, Abreu and Rafaela would all be exciting additions to the Twins. After a career year where he posted 8.7 bWAR and a 132 OPS+, Duran had another great season in 2025, posting 4.6 bWAR and a 114 OPS+. Abreu was worth over 3.0 bWAR in both 2025 and 2024, and Rafaela posted 4.8 bWAR in 2025 despite a 95 OPS+.
As a Twins fan myself, I'd probably side with holding onto Ryan, since even though the Twins have plenty of starting pitching depth, there are still many uncertainties regarding the staff. And while having an outfielder like Duran, Abreu or Rafaela would be a huge boost, the team has several promising prospects, such as Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper, who will likely make their MLB debuts next year.