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

MINNEAPOLIS Saturdays loss to the Washington Nationals was Joe Ryans final start before the July 31 trade deadline, and it also could have been the All-Stars 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.

Advertisement As far as a trade goes, I dont see it happening, Ryan said.

At the same time, its completely out of my hands, so I really havent 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, its 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.

Ive obviously seen some of the media side about it, Ryan said of deadline chatter.

It hasnt really been a huge topic of discussion (in the clubhouse).

People arent 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 MLBs expanded playoff field leading to fewer clear-cut sellers and more fence-sitting wild-card hopefuls.

There are a lot of discussions, dont 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, theyre not advanced yet, because its just timing.

Advertisement 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 theyll have a losing record on deadline day, which typically leads to a team being sellers.

Ryan might be correct that hes 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 theres 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 theres a lot of talent on this roster.

Ive never considered a label on what we do here.

And thats going to be our deadline every year.

Quite frankly, Ive 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.

Theyre below .500, with playoff odds under 15 percent, and theres 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 Lopez isnt 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 Obers imminent return after a brutal June.

Advertisement And if those arent enough reasons to write off the slim possibility of a late-season surge into the playoffs, Byron Buxton was removed from Saturdays game with left side soreness and sat out Sundays loss to the Nationals after an MRI showed rib cartilage irritation.

Hes 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 theyll 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, whats it mean for 2025? Whats it mean for 2026, 2027, 2028? Were 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).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.