Joe Ryan ‘would like to stay’ with Twins; Derek Falvey talks trade deadline plans

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MINNEAPOLIS — Saturday’s loss to the Washington Nationals was Joe Ryan’s final start before the July 31 trade deadline, and it also could have been the All-Star’s last start in a Minnesota Twins uniform.

But as rumors swirl around the highly sought-after right-hander who ranks No. 1 on The Athletic’s trade deadline big board, Ryan downplayed his odds of being traded and expressed a desire to stay in Minnesota with two years of team control remaining beyond this one.

“As far as a trade goes, I don’t see it happening,” Ryan said. “At the same time, it’s completely out of my hands, so I really haven’t thought about it much. I think we have a good opportunity, years forward, to do something here, so I would like to stay. But like I said, it’s out of my control.”

Ryan is 10-5 with a 2.82 ERA and 137-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 121 1/3 innings this season, and the 29-year-old has a career 3.70 ERA over 591 2/3 innings for the Twins since debuting in late 2021. His combination of front-line performance and team control through 2027 makes him very valuable.

Of course, those same traits are why the Twins would seemingly need to be blown away by an offer to even consider moving Ryan, who is earning just $3 million this season and figures to make less than $10 million in 2026 via arbitration. But contenders are calling the Twins about Ryan just in case.

“I’ve obviously seen some of the media side about it,” Ryan said of deadline chatter. “It hasn’t really been a huge topic of discussion (in the clubhouse). People aren’t freaking out about anything. Just play baseball and focus on what we can control. And the front office will take care of the rest of that.”

That’s just the Joe Ryan Experience, baby! pic.twitter.com/tnrKUHrunT

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 16, 2025

As for the front office, Twins president Derek Falvey indicated Sunday that the conversations with other teams are still largely in the feeling-out stage, perhaps a result of MLB’s expanded playoff field leading to fewer clear-cut sellers and more fence-sitting wild-card hopefuls.

“There are a lot of discussions, don’t get me wrong,” Falvey said. “There are a lot of calls back and forth. But in terms of actual proposals and offers, this stuff tends to come as you get much closer to the deadline. In some of these conversations, they’re not advanced yet, because it’s just timing.”

But with only three games left until the trade deadline, the Twins have a 50-55 record that puts them 11th in the 15-team American League and sits eighth in line for three wild-card spots. It also ensures they’ll have a losing record on deadline day, which typically leads to a team being sellers.

Ryan might be correct that he’s unlikely to be traded, but the Twins have six impending free agents who could be cashed in for some future value as two-month rentals instead of leaving for nothing this winter, including solid role players Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, Chris Paddack and Danny Coulombe.

High-end relievers Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart are team controlled through 2027, just like Ryan. But there’s a growing sense around the league that one or more of the Twins’ late-inning bullpen arms could be gettable — or at least more gettable than Ryan — with a big enough offer.

“The job is to evaluate what comes our way and navigate in any direction possible,” Falvey said. “We still feel like there’s a lot of talent on this roster. I’ve never considered a label on what we do here. And that’s going to be our deadline every year. Quite frankly, I’ve never pivoted from that.”

Jhoan Duran’s full entrance because it’s fun at night pic.twitter.com/r4Tvqv0Som

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) July 12, 2025

Nearly everything points to the Twins being sellers at the deadline, to some degree. They’re below .500, with playoff odds under 15 percent, and there’s little reason to think a strong stretch-run push is doable for a team with an AL-worst 19-29 record since June 1 and a 74-88 record in its last 162 games.

Worse, their rotation is running on fumes. Pablo López isn’t expected back from a shoulder strain for several weeks, David Festa just joined him on the injured list with shoulder problems of his own, and no one can be sure what to expect from Bailey Ober’s imminent return after a brutal June.

And if those aren’t enough reasons to write off the slim possibility of a late-season surge into the playoffs, Byron Buxton was removed from Saturday’s game with left side soreness and sat out Sunday’s loss to the Nationals after an MRI showed rib cartilage irritation. He’s considered day to day.

On the other hand, selling would all but guarantee missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. And the uncertain ownership situation also looms over everything, making it tough to plan for the future without even knowing who will be in charge or whether they’ll retain the Falvey-led front office.

“We never have an eye on just one season,” Falvey said. “We try to think about, in this case, what’s it mean for 2025? What’s it mean for 2026, 2027, 2028? We’re going to approach it exactly the same way and continue to try to figure out what the right deals are for the Twins, short- and long-term.”

(Photo of Joe Ryan: Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)

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