The Minnesota Twins aren’t completely out of the race as they sit six games behind the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central entering Friday. But if things go as expected, there could be plenty of players made available when the team approaches the MLB trade deadline in July.
One player that has already heard his name in rumors is Byron Buxton. The Twins’ All-Star outfielder has been connected with his home state Atlanta Braves as a potential trade target, but The Athletic’s Dan Hayes poured cold water on the idea and gave fans another clue that Buxton isn’t going anywhere.
“Atlanta radio hosts were talking about Byron Buxton being in the outfield there. Hey, Atlanta radio hosts, the guy has a no trade clause and he’s a [10-and-5] guy now,” Hayes said during Friday’s episode of the Twin Cities Territory podcast. “...He is hours away from Atlanta, I would definitely put that…as one of the, like maybe two places that I’d bet you he’d consider going in the call came. But it doesn’t mean the team can’t call. …You can still call. You just get told no.”
Byron Buxton’s no-trade clause means he’s likely to stay with Twins
Hayes’s comments won’t stop trade rumors from happening, but they might put some of the fears that the Twins could be trading their best player to bed. After years of dealing with a nagging knee injury, Buxton is having a late-career surge.
The 32-year-old hit .265/.327/.551 with 35 homers, 83 RBI and 24 stolen bases to earn his second All-Star appearance in 2025 and he’s continued to produce in 2026, hitting .260/.320/.576 with 15 homers and 23 RBI. Despite Buxton’s efforts, the Twins are unlikely to contend due in part to excessive payroll cuts and if they wanted to take it a step further, getting rid of Buxton’s $15.1 million salary (plus incentives) would be a logical move and bring prospects to assist their current rebuild.
The Braves would be a logical suitor in this scenario as ESPN's Buster Olney called Buxton "a perfect fit for what they have" during an appearance on the Cellini & Dimino show on 680 The Fan in Atlanta on May 18. But that comes with a few catches.
As Hayes mentioned, Buxton not only has a no-trade clause in his contract but also earned 10-and-5 rights as a player with 10 years of service time with five consecutive years spent with the same organization.
While Buxton can approve a trade, he’s shown nothing that suggests he would be willing to do so, reminding reporters of his no-trade clause during last year’s All-Star break and turning down multiple teams including the Braves and New York Mets at last year’s deadline. While speculation picked up over the winter and Buxton was frustrated with management not shutting down those rumors and still appears that Buxton is sticking to his word of being a Twin “for the rest of my life.”
The rumor mill will continue to churn if the Twins continue to struggle on the field and right-size their payroll off of it. But it still appears Buxton is willing to ride it out in Minnesota and turn down any team that comes calling in the next few months.
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