1 trade Twins must not make at 2026 MLB trade deadline

The Minnesota Twins are supposed to be an afterthought. Playing in the lowly American League Central Division, the Twins did not figure to compete with the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers or Kansas City Royals this season. Instead, most observers thought the Twins and Chicago White Sox would be at the bottom in perhaps the worst division in Major League Baseball.

However, the Twins find themselves tied for the final Wild Card spot in the American League with the Seattle Mariners and just 3.0 games behind the surprising (shocking) White Sox and Guardians for the lead in the division. The Twins may not have met any observer’s expectations about what a contender is supposed to look like, but manager Derek Shelton has a team that comes into the All-Star Break having won 9 of its last 13 games and clearly on the upswing.

Twins need to hold on to change their course

They will get tested after the All-Star Game with a seven-game road trip to the North Side of Chicago to face the Cubs and Guardians. The Twins will know where they stand after that. However, even if they struggle against those two opponents, don’t expect the Twins to go into a big sell-off.

Owner Tom Pohlad knows that Minnesota fans are tired of watching the Twins play mediocre baseball and fall out of contention. He wants the team to start drawing big numbers of fans for the first time in years, and that’s not going to happen by trading a star like Byron Buxton.

It sounds like Pohlad is willing to change the direction of the way the front office operated in the past. “We’ve got to be competitive consistently,” Pohlad said, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. “And that’s a baseline. And then we’ve got to be willing to make investments and make bold moves that allow us to be successful in the playoffs.  I think the barometer for success in the past has been ‘Let’s just try to be competitive.’ The barometer for success going forward is, ‘Let’s win a championship.’ ”

That’s bold talk and it needs to be followed up with action. The Twins must hold on to Buxton, the team’s resident star power hitter. It also means bringing in meaningful veteran talent. Instead of selling at the deadline, the Twins have to join the buyers.

Buxton wants to stay with the Twins

Buxton is an interesting case because he has been with the Twins for 12 years and he has suffered multiple injuries in nine of those seasons. However, he has already belted 25 home runs and was voted as an All-Star starter. He had to withdraw from the festivities because of his hip strain.

Buxton should be able to return to the lineup sometime in the next couple of weeks, and he has made the point that he does not want to be traded and he wants to remain with the Twins.

However, that does not mean other teams are going to stay away from pursuing the centerfielder. When he’s healthy, Buxton is a game-changing player who can go get the ball in centerfield, run the bases with speed and daring and hit the ball out of the park. He is the kind of player who can make a difference for a contending team.

The Twins could receive generous offers for his services and opposing teams could make it worth Buxton’s while to leave. But holding on to this stud who could reach 40 home runs is essential for the team’s growth and ability to compete for a spot in the postseason.

Twins must be willing to trade to bring in stars

One of the players that has been viewed as one of Minnesota’s most viable trade options is catcher Ryan Jeffers.

Jeffers is fully healthy again and was reinstated to the roster July 10 after breaking his hamate bone in mid-May. Jeffers is a solid hitting catcher who is slashing .292/.404/.538 with 7 home runs and 28 runs batted in. He has played in just 39 games to this point with 130 at bats.

While many teams would be desperate to get Jeffers back in the lineup, the Twins have received solid production from backup Victor Caratini. He is slashing .240/.333/.371 with homers and 35 RBI

Alex Jackson has also performed well in limited duty. He is hitting .296 with 1 homer and 4 RBI in 54 at bats.

The point is that the Twins could move on from Jeffers for some much-needed starting pitching or bullpen help and still be covered behind the plate.

Previously, starting pitcher Joe Ryan was mentioned as a player the Twins would be willing to trade, but that can no longer be the case. They need pitching — the Twins rank 24th in ERA — and a solid hitting catcher like Jeffers could be very appealing to a trade partner for the Twins.

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