Twins All-Star starting pitcher garnering interest, could be on the move

The Minnesota Twins are having a disappointing season and aren’t in a playoff spot just two weeks from the trade deadline.

At 47-49, the Twins are 11.5 games back from the Detroit Tigers for first place in the American League Central and four games back from the third AL Wild Card spot.

The season took a turn when All-Star pitcher Pablo Lopez went down with a Grade 2 right shoulder strain at the beginning of June.

Since June 3, the Twins are 14-22 and haven’t looked like a team that’s headed to October.

If Minnesota enters sell-mode, they have a few solid trade chips, including 2025 All-Star right-hander Joe Ryan.

According to Major League Baseball insider/analyst Jon Morosi, multiple teams are monitoring Ryan, including the Boston Red Sox.

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Ryan, 29, is having a career-year in his fourth full-season with Minnesota. Ryan is 9-4 with a 2.72 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP in 19 appearances (18 starts) this season.

“He doesn't get a ton of hype—All-Star selection notwithstanding, of course—but he has been one of the more interesting pitchers in MLB for a while now,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer. “He's a strikeout-to-walk ratio standout with a sneaky-good fastball, as he leads all pitchers in four-seamer run value even though his sits at a relatively modest 93.4 mph.”

The Twins could get a lot in return for Ryan, who won’t be a free agent until 2028.

Considering the Twins aren’t too far out of playoff contention, they may opt to keep Ryan. But it may be smarter for the team to move Ryan at his highest value to maximize a return.

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