Wednesday, September 23

CLEVELAND -- You’ve read it here and elsewhere, and it remains true: the Twins would like to be buyers at the Trade Deadline. The front office would like that. Ownership would like that. And obviously the people in uniform would like that.

Circumstances don’t always work out the way you want, though, and Minnesota has a variety of players who will garner plenty of calls -- whether or not they’re actually available. So here’s a look at the circumstances in which three of those candidates might move and what it would say about the team and the season in each case.

We’re leaving out Byron Buxton, who has full no-trade protection, has made it clear he has no desire to go anywhere, and whom the club has said it has no interest in moving.

Trevor Larnach
The skinny: You could move him and still be a buyer

You read that right. There’s interest in Larnach, who’s having the best season of his career and is still a year and a half from free agency. And he’d be missed; Larnach has been a key part of the Twins’ offensive attack this year.

But in order to get something, you have to give something. And the Twins are in dire need of pitching, especially in the bullpen. They could also trade for a starter and move someone to the bullpen. Either of those could conceivably be accomplished by trading Larnach -- either straight up in a Major League for Major League trade, or in a three-way deal in which Larnach goes to a contender and another club sends a pitcher to Minnesota.

Importantly, the Twins have options if they move Larnach. Walker Jenkins keeps hitting at Triple-A, and Matt Wallner has been productive as well. The team's No. 4 prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez is getting closer to returning. Corner outfield is probably the one position where the Twins could trade a big leaguer and feel the least short-term pain.

Ryan Jeffers
The skinny: Probably can’t move him and call yourself a buyer, but it wouldn’t necessarily be an indicator of a full-on sale

The Jeffers question is easily the Twins’ most complicated at the Deadline, with the most compelling factors in both directions.

Argument for keeping him? For one thing, catching depth. Victor Caratini has had a decent year, but he hasn’t caught more than 100 games in a season since 2021. It might be a big ask for him to be the primary man for the last two months. Then there’s the simple fact that Jeffers has been one of, if not the best Twins’ hitter this year. Removing your starting catcher, who’s also an extremely productive hitter, is a gutting blow to a team.

But still … he’s a free agent at the end of the year. And if he hasn’t re-signed by now, he’s going to hit the market. There’s immense demand for him, with the Yankees in particular extremely interested. The return could be huge, potentially including Major Leaguers or players very close to The Show.

If the Twins are going for it, they’re not dealing Jeffers. But there’s definitely a path where they don’t come anywhere close to a 2025-style selloff but still move him.

Joe Ryan
The skinny: If you move him, you’re definitely selling

Ryan is one of the best pitchers in the American League. He’d instantly be one of the hottest commodities in baseball if he were available, a starting pitcher who a contender would absolutely start in a postseason series. 

You could make a franchise-changing move with a trade of Ryan. However, there’s simply no obvious replacement. And moving him now means taking a big chunk out of the Twins’ 2027 chances as well, and chairman Tom Pohlad has explicitly said he has no appetite for a full rebuild. Ryan could get traded in the next two weeks, but it would very likely only happen in the context of a bigger sell.

Major League Baseball recently announced the 2027 schedule, and it gets off to an early start. Here are a few highlights of Minnesota’s ’27 schedule.

• The Twins open on the road again, on Thursday, March 25, at Kansas City, followed by a series at the Dodgers before they come home.

• The home opener is set for Friday, April 2, against the Rays.

• There’s a big homestand in late June, with the Yankees and Guardians at Target Field from June 21-27.

• The Brewers come to town late in the year, with a weekend series Sept. 10-12.

• The season ends at home, with the Giants and Tigers coming to town from Sept. 21-26.

Saturday brings one of the best giveaways of the year at Target Field. For the 6:10 p.m. game against the Athletics, the first 10,000 fans will receive a classic blue Kirby Puckett jersey. More details on this and other promotions can be found at this link.

I won’t drop this in every week, but I’m going to try to remember once in a while. I’m on social media in a couple of places. I still maintain an X account, but don’t post there, so don’t bother with that. I do post frequently -- and often about baseball! -- on my BlueSky account. And I also have a work Instagram account that you can check out as well.

I’m coming to you from Cleveland, the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (which by the way I can’t recommend highly enough), so here’s a playlist of artists in this year’s induction class. Y’all be kind and look out for each other, OK?

New Order, “Regret”

Oasis, “Don’t Look Back In Anger”

Phil Collins, “Against All Odds”

Wu-Tang Clan, “Protect Ya Neck”

The Rolling Stones, “Sway” (produced by 2026 inductee Jimmy Miller)

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