During the 2025 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline, the Minnesota Twins traded nearly their entire team.
However, the club held on to arguably their two best players, Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan. Both starting pitchers possess Cy Young talent and likely would have fetched the Twins an elite return package.
Now, the Twins have lost one of their two key pieces.
Lopez is going to miss the entire 2026 season to rehab from his Tommy John surgery. This likely will spill into the start of the 2027 campaign as well. While many pitchers have made fantastic recoveries from TJ surgery, there is certainly never a guarantee.
Lopez stays in Minnesota
Due to this injury news, Lopez is likely going to finish out the rest of his contract with the Twins. His current deal expires at the end of the 2027 season. With uncertainty surrounding Major League Baseball and the collective bargaining agreement, Lopez might not throw another pitch as a Twin.
By not trading Lopez this season, the Twins are going to miss out on a big return. Trading the veteran with two years left on his deal could have netted them a top-of-the-line package.
We saw the Miami Marlins flip Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers, the Washington Nationals trade MacKenzie Gore, and the Pittsburgh Pirates move Johan Oviedo. Each of these moves landed top prospects as a part of the return package.
Joe Ryan
The Minnesota Twins have to learn from this mistake when it comes to Ryan.
Like Lopez, Ryan will be under contract through 2027. I would expect him to be traded by the deadline on August 3, 2026.
This club has no real chance to compete this season or next. The front office made sure of that by gutting the team at the deadline last season. Building towards the future is what is going to be best for the Twins franchise. Moving Ryan would give them a better chance at doing so successfully.
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