As the MLB trade deadline nears, the Minnesota Twins have begun what could well be an active few days by trading starting pitcher Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers. Could ace Joe Ryan be the next victim of a pitcher fire sale for the Twins? Well, one person close to Joe Ryan doesn't think so: Joe Ryan.
“As far as a trade goes, I don’t see it happening,” Ryan said via The Athletic. “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.”
From a human standpoint, I surely understand why Ryan would want to stay; uprooting your life and moving to a new city to start a new job is exhausting no matter what field you're in. Plus, Ryan has been in Minnesota his whole career, and has built a name for himself with the Twins. That means something to players, whether or not it does to fans and front offices.
Unfortunately, Ryan doesn't really control whether or not he's dealt in the next 72 hours, and he'd be a massive get for teams looking for the final piece of their rotation puzzle as the postseason looms. Here are the three best realistic packages for Ryan.
1. Cubs beef up rotation as Twins get three prospects in return
Cubs fans are giddy at the thought of Ryan pitching in Wrigley, and that fantasy could become reality... if they're willing to pony up some promising prospects. Wiggins and Alcántara are both near-MLB ready and could feasibly make the 2026 opening day roster in Minnesota, giving the fans something to look forward to.
McCullough, although he's ranked lower (No. 24) in Chicago's farm system, is a near-sure bet to be at least a playable reliever in the big leagues. This package accomplishes goals for both sides; Chicago gets the starting arm that could make it World Series favorites, while Minnesota gets three prospects that they can feel comfortable will contribute soon.
2. Red Sox capitalize on hot streak with Joe Ryan trade
Again, I know getting rid of Garcia and Tibbs would hurt — they're both thrilling prospects, and Tibbs is still new to the franchise after being included in the Devers trade earlier this year. But to flip him almost immediately — while it might be kind of messed up — for a consistently high-level starting arm would be too tough to pass up for Boston.
Add Garcia to the mix and this deal suddenly becomes tough for Minnesota to pass up, too. With Harrison Bader and Willi Castro both on the trade block right now too, the Twins might be in the market for high-upside outfielders of the future, and these two certainly fit that mold.
3. Mariners get final pitching piece for highly ranked prospects
The worst-kept secret in baseball is that the Mariners are looking to deal No. 3 prospect Harry Ford at the deadline. It's not because of anything Ford has done — he's mashing at Triple-A and seems more than MLB-ready right now. It's more because there's not much space for him to catch at the big league level, considering the Mariners have that spot more than covered with Cal Raleigh and a pretty good backup option in Mitch Garver.
In Minnesota, though, Ford could have a chance to start out splitting time at catcher with Ryan Jeffers and eventually taking over the position for himself. He might be the perfect blend of upside and readiness that the Twins are looking for if they don't want to fully tear it all down at the deadline. Or, even if they do, Ford is a nice building block to start with in 2026.
Celesten has a chance to be a building block in his own right. Seattle's No. 6-ranked prospect is also on the MLB Top 100 and although he's struggled a bit at Single-A this year, he's talented enough that Minnesota could still bank on him being an impact big leaguer in a few years. Throw in Tyler Locklear, who is just outside of the Top 100 list, and the Twins might be willing to toss in Griffin Jax on their end.