The Minnesota Twins were the biggest sellers at the MLB trade deadline, and it wasn't even close. Even though the team was not too far out of the playoff picture, the team's pending sale forced the team to trade away the majority of their players, including Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Carlos Correa. One star remains, and that's Joe Ryan.
Even though Ryan was expected to remain with the Twins, there were late discussions before the trade deadline hit, notably with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox have long been linked to Ryan, but the odds of a trade happening were slim. However, the FOX Sports MLB Twitter account shocked everyone by sending out a photo that said Ryan was traded to the Red Sox. The social media post was sent out too early, as neither team agreed to terms on a deal.
Ryan spoke about the trade rumors surrounding him and the trade to the Red Sox that wasn't, and revealed that it took a toll on him emotionally.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Ryan told The Minnesota Star Tribune. “I felt like I threw a whole game [Thursday] with a lot of emotions. I was kind of in a weird state of mind and physically pretty exhausted, too.”
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Joe Ryan admits false Red Sox trade post took a toll on him
That is an understandable reaction from Ryan. Players are waiting to see if they are going to stay with their current teams, or if they will have to join another organization located in another part of the country.
For Ryan, he didn't know what was going on, as he told the Minnesota Star Tribune that he had not heard from the Twins at all. The team had not seen the FOX Sports MLB post at all. So for at least a couple of minutes, Ryan expected to be traded to the Red Sox. But as we all now know, that wasn't the case.
Ryan has been stellar this season for the Twins, recording a 2.83 ERA, a 0.927 WHIP, a 10-5 win-loss record, 141 strikeouts, and 25 walks in 127.1 innings (22 games). Those are incredible numbers.
The Twins understandably had a high asking price for Ryan, considering his All-Star season this year, and for the fact that he is under team control through the 2027 season. So an affordable contract for any team that acquired him. So, it will remain to be seen if the Twins explore a trade during the offseason this winter.
The false report affected everyone in the baseball world, including Ryan himself.