Joe Ryan sits right at the center of Minnesota’s offseason puzzle.
The Twins went into 2026 expecting him to be the arm at the top of the rotation. That made sense at the time: he was coming off his first All-Star season, had built a reputation as one of the American League’s better starters, and was under team control through 2027.
Then the year veered off course. Ryan dealt with injuries, faded in the second half, and finished after missing time with a left glute strain.
He ended the season with a 3.79 ERA (112 ERA+), 159 strikeouts and 31 walks across 144 2/3 innings.
Now the question is whether Minnesota should cash in that profile while it still can.
General manager Jeremy Zoll has already acknowledged the possibility of using pitching depth to help elsewhere on the roster, and Ryan is one of several starters with a path into the discussion. Bailey Ober, Pablo López and Dean Kremer are also entering the final year of their current team-control windows, and the Twins have a long list of names who could factor into next year’s rotation: Ryan, Ober, López, Kremer, Taj Bradley, Connor Prielipp, Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel.
That kind of depth gives Minnesota leverage. It also gives the front office a chance to solve problems beyond the mound.
If another club values Ryan more than the Twins do, he could bring back multiple pieces for a roster that needs help in other spots. His track record makes him appealing, too.
Since 2022, he’s averaged a 111 ERA+, 3.81 FIP and 2.6 rWAR, and he’s been an All-Star or close to it for multiple seasons.
There’s also a clear reason to consider moving him now rather than later. Ryan is already approaching the point where he could get expensive in trade value if Minnesota waits too long, and the Twins may prefer to act before he gets any closer to free agency after the 2027 season.
Still, the case for keeping him is just as real.
Starting pitching doesn’t grow on trees, and Ryan has already proven he can handle a major-league rotation job. A rough finish to 2026 doesn’t erase that. Minnesota could decide the smarter play is to bank on a rebound instead of selling at a low point.
The depth behind him also isn’t as sturdy as it looks on paper. López and Abel are both coming back from elbow surgery.
Prielipp has spent much of his pro career battling injuries. Matthews has not yet locked himself in as a dependable big-league starter.
Ober, meanwhile, continues to fight velocity issues. What looks like a surplus in November can look a lot thinner by spring.
That’s why the return matters so much. Moving Ryan just because there are a lot of arms in the system only makes sense if the Twins are getting something that meaningfully addresses a need. Otherwise, they’d be giving away a proven starter for the sake of movement.
Timing will matter, too. Minnesota doesn’t need to rush.
The best window might come early, especially if another team loses a starter in free agency or suddenly needs rotation help. Zoll has made it clear the Twins won’t just sit back and wait for the market to fully form.
And this offseason carries an extra wrinkle: the collective bargaining agreement is set to expire December 1, which opens the door to a lockout. That makes the weeks before that date especially important.
If the Twins get a strong enough offer, Ryan could move before December 1. If not, there’s no reason to force a deal.
The club could also circle back after the lockout or later in the winter if the market changes. A starter could get hurt.
A free-agent pursuit could fall apart. Another team could decide it needs rotation help after all.
Ryan’s market could shift quickly.
That’s what makes this such a significant call for Zoll in his first full offseason running baseball operations. Ryan is 29, has already shown he can pitch at an All-Star level, and could still be due for a strong bounce-back season. At the same time, he’s one of the few Twins pitchers with real trade appeal and only one more potential season of control after 2026.
So the real issue isn’t whether Ryan is good enough to keep or useful enough to move. It’s whether another team is willing to pay enough to make the risk worth it.
If the offer can help Minnesota fix one of its biggest holes and still leave the door open to compete in 2027, Zoll has a move to consider. If not, holding Ryan and betting on a rebound may be the better bet for a team that still needs quality innings.
In Other News...
Twins Have A Few 2027 Lineup Locks But One Debate Looms
The Twins are already starting to sketch out what their lineup could look like next season, and a few names stand out as the kinds of players who should be hard to keep off the field. Brooks Lee, Kaelen Culpepper and Walker Jenkins all fit into that conversation, with each offering a different kind of upside as Minnesota weighs how its infield and outfield might take shape.
But even with those potential everyday pieces in view, the bigger question is how the rest of the roster settles around them. Recent performance gives the Twins reasons to feel good about the young core, yet there is still plenty of uncertainty about where everyone fits and which positions will ultimately be available, making this one of the more interesting lineup debates heading into the future. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Jeffers Just Made The Twins Offseason Feel More Emotional
Ryan Jeffers may have turned in one of his most memorable nights in a Twins uniform at just the right time, helping Minnesota beat the Texas Rangers with two hits, a walk and an RBI. The performance fit the kind of steady, all-around value he has brought behind the plate and in the lineup, which is why his status now carries more weight than a single game usually would.
After the win, Jeffers shared an emotional moment with owner Tom Pohlad, then declined to get into what comes next as he heads into free agency. The Twins are expected to extend a one-year qualifying offer, and the fact that there was deadline interest from teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees only adds another layer to an offseason that suddenly feels a lot more personal. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Bullpen Overhaul Could Hinge On One Costly Free Agent
With several key relievers moved out of the picture, the Twins are heading into the offseason with a clear bullpen need and a willingness at the top of the organization to address it. Ownership has signaled it is prepared to invest aggressively in the relief corps, and that kind of commitment could shape how the front office approaches a market that is likely to be thin on impact arms.
One name to watch is David Bednar, a proven closer who also comes with a familiar connection to manager Derek Shelton from their time together. For a club that has already made the first steps of a bullpen overhaul, a pursuit like that would send a strong message about how seriously it plans to rebuild the late innings, even if landing him may come at a steep price. [Read more 🡒]