It seemed the Minnesota Twins were entering a slight rebuild phase during last season's trade deadline, as they traded away controllable players: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, and Brock Stewart. This offseason, the team was willing to trade Joe Ryan, Byron Buxton, and/or Pablo López. Ryan had been the main talk leading up to the Winter Meetings.
One team in particular was rumored to be heavily interested. The Boston Red Sox were reportedly leading the pack to acquire Ryan; however, according to Red Sox insider Rob Bradford, the Red Sox backed off the trade, leaving the Twins to decide to hold onto their three players. According to FanGraphs, the Twins are estimated to have a payroll next season of $96 million, which is $40 million less than last season's ending payroll. So, the intended trades weren't financially motivated, which led to the assumption of a rebuild.
The news of keeping their key players suggests the Twins think they can contend next season. The emergence of Luke Keaschall (.827 OPS and 134 wRC+) this year backs the idea of being willing to be contenders. The question is whether key players can stay healthy, as Buxton and Royce Lewis have struggled to do so over their careers.
The pitching staff needs massive upgrades. Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Zebby Matthews all struggled in the starting rotation last season. Richardson had a 4.04 ERA, but the other two ERAs were higher than 5.00. The bullpen had Cole Sands, Pierson Ohi, and Travis Adams, all of whom exceeded a 4.50 ERA, and Connor Prielipp and John Klein look to begin their rookie campaign at the start of the season.
It seems the Twins are opting to be contenders next season, though there's still time to flip the switch and shift their focus to rebuilding. The next couple of moves will be about how the front office sees their 2026 season going.