The Twins are in a spot few saw coming as July rolls on, and that makes the trade deadline conversation a lot more interesting. Instead of bracing only for a sell-off, Minnesota has a real case to make a move, and the clearest area to address is the rotation.
One name that keeps popping up is Sonny Gray. The Red Sox right-hander has been one of the best pitchers on the market, and if Boston decides to listen, Minnesota could find itself in the middle of a reunion that would have sounded far-fetched not long ago.
Gray has been sharp in his first season with Boston, posting a 10-1 record with a 2.61 ERA, a 22.8 percent strikeout rate and a 6.4 percent walk rate across 89.2 innings. Even with that kind of production, the Red Sox entered Monday in last place in the American League East at 40-48. They are only four games back of the final wild card spot, but plenty of people still expect Gray to move, which would put him near the top of the pitching market behind Joe Ryan and Tarik Skubal.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden added more fuel to that idea when he linked Gray to seven different teams while breaking down each club’s buy-or-sell outlook. That kind of attention only strengthens the sense that Gray could be on the move.
For the Twins, the fit is obvious. Gray spent two seasons in Minnesota after arriving in a trade before the 2022 season, and he was excellent there, going 16-13 with a 2.90 ERA.
He made his second All-Star team and finished second in American League Cy Young voting in 2023 before leaving for a three-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals the next winter, when the Twins “right sized” their payroll.
His exit came after a stretch that had given Minnesota real momentum, following its first playoff win since 2003 and first postseason series victory since 2002. Bringing him back would be more than a sentimental move, though. It would also address a real baseball need.
The top of the rotation looks workable with Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley, and Bailey Ober could deepen things once he returns from an elbow injury. But the rest of the staff has some uncertainty. Mick Abel had to restart his rehab from an elbow injury last month, Zebby Matthews has been uneven, and Connor Prielipp is presumably nearing an innings limit.
Gray would give the Twins a dependable veteran to slot alongside Ryan and ease some of the burden on Bradley in the No. 3 role. The challenge is figuring out what it would cost.
Minnesota could try to reduce the price by taking on the rest of Gray’s 2026 salary and the $10 million buyout for 2027, but that runs into the reality of the Pohlad family’s conservative spending over the last couple of seasons. If Boston were to keep some money, the Twins might still have to part with a prospect like Gabriel Gonzalez or a big-league bat such as Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner.
A deal for Gray was not part of the conversation a few months ago. Now it is.
And if the Twins keep winning, the pressure to add a starter will only grow louder. If they do jump into the market, Gray would be one of the most intriguing options available, and one that could quiet some of the doubt around their playoff push.
In Other News...
Twins Rotation Relief May Finally Be Taking Shape
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The picture is still uneven, though, and the organization does not have a clean bill of health just yet. Emmanuel Rodriguez is still working through his throwing and hitting progression, while the bullpen shuffle has already brought Woo-Suk Go onto the active roster and sent Cody Laweryson back to St. Paul. For a team that has spent plenty of time waiting on reinforcements, the next few days should start to show whether this is the stretch when the rotation and depth chart finally begin to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Byron Buxton Trade Buzz Is Back And Twins Fans Know Why
Byron Buxton trade chatter has a way of resurfacing even when the Twins have given every indication they are not interested in moving him. Buxton has publicly said he does not intend to waive his no-trade clause, and the front office has made clear it is not considering a deal, yet his name still pops up whenever national trade lists get refreshed and the deadline conversation starts heating up.
The reason the speculation never quite disappears is simple enough: Buxton is one of the more recognizable names on the roster, and he also carries serious control over where he goes, thanks to both his contract and his service time. Even so, the odds of anything changing remain remote unless something extraordinary shifts the picture, which is why this feels less like an actual Twins plan and more like a familiar summer echo around a player who remains central to what they are trying to do. [Read more 🡒]