Cardinals’ perfect trade offer for Twins’ Joe Ryan

The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of MLB’s biggest surprises so far in 2026. They entered the season in a rebuild, yet they look like a legitimate postseason contender at the moment. The Cardinals are currently in second place in the National League Central standings, and they would be in the NL Wild Card if the season ended today. So, will St. Louis look to aggressively buy at the MLB trade deadline?

The Cardinals are likely not going to ignore their standings placement. St. Louis may be hesitant to surrender the best prospects in the organization, but the ball club could certainly still look to acquire a star or two before the deadline. The Cardinals could use a pitcher, and Minnesota Twins star Joe Ryan could be available.

Ryan has a mutual option on his contract for the 2027 campaign. There is a good chance that he will enter free agency unless both Ryan and the team he is on want to accept the option. Given the mutual option, the price for acquiring him will not be as high as some other starters around the game.

With that being said, Minnesota will still want a respectable return. Ryan is pitching well this season, as he currently holds a 3.17 ERA across 15 starts to go along with 92 strikeouts. The 2025 All-Star will draw plenty of trade interest if the Twins make him available.

What a trade could look like

*Prospect rankings per MLB.com

Twins acquire: RHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (Cardinals’ No. 4 overall prospect), RHP Tink Hence (Cardinals’ No. 14 overall prospect), OF Emmanuel Luna (Cardinals’ No. 18 overall prospect)

Cardinals acquire: RHP Joe Ryan

The Twins will likely want at least two or three prospects in the trade. Cijntje leads the trade return in this specific deal.

Cijntje, 23, is able to pitch from both sides, as he is a switch-pitcher. However, the expectation is that he will focus on pitching as a right-hander. He features a good fastball. The 23-year-old is still working on overall command of his pitches, but his future is bright.

Hence, 23, is a right-handed pitcher who throws an especially good changeup. He is an intriguing pitcher who should be ready for MLB soon.

Finally, the Twins would receive Luna as part of this trade. Luna is only 17 years old. His MLB ETA is set for 2031. However, he could become a reliable player in the future. He can hit for power and he runs well.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals receive Ryan in the deal without having to trade away any of their top three prospects. Moving on from Cijntje is far from ideal, but acquiring Ryan is the kind of move that can help the Cardinals become a serious contender in the postseason.

Will this Cardinals-Twins trade come to fruition?

Ryan is probably going to be made available for a trade. The question is whether or not the Cardinals will be aggressive at the trade deadline.

St. Louis is probably not going to acquire a pitcher like Tarik Skubal, who will command teams’ best prospects even though he will enter free agency following the season. If the Cardinals decide that they are willing to buy at the deadline, trading for a pitcher like Ryan makes the most sense.

Acquiring him would not completely set their rebuild back. Meanwhile, St. Louis would have a veteran All-Star pitcher join the rotation for the second half of the season.

This trade could happen, but it certainly is not guaranteed.

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