This Orioles-Twins trade for Joe Ryan would break Red Sox fans’ hearts

We have no idea what the Minnesota Twins plans are for next season. The Pohlads were selling, but now are not. Target Field has the potential to be a great ballpark, but is often left empty for the likes of Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton to play in front of 40,000 empty chairs. Much of that leads to (eventually) expensive players and little revenue to show for it.

If the Twins are going to trade Ryan before he reaches free agency, now is the time to do it. He’s coming off a great season, and would easily be the best starting pitcher available now that Tarik Skubal is off the board. Ryan, who was connected to the Boston Red Sox on multiple occasions in the last year, would be an ideal fit for one of their division rivals as well in the Baltimore Orioles.

Get to know Joe Ryan: A quick scouting report

Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Ryan has an elite fastball along with a split finger, sweeper and sinker to match. However, Ryan throws his fastball over 50 percent of the time, with the rest of his breaking stuff serving as a supplement. Writing a scouting report on Ryan isn’t easy, as Keith Law of The Athletic would know better than most. In a 2025 column, Law admitted that Ryan was one of the players he was most wrong about. Notably, it was Ryan’s fastball that had Law fooled.

“Ryan’s four-seamer has been worth at least plus-14 runs above average in each of his four full seasons in the majors. Hitters actually don’t hit it or square it up very much, with whiff and strikeout rates well above the MLB median for four-seamers, and a wOBA allowed on the pitch that’s well below the median,” Law wrote.

Ryan had his best season to date in 2025, as he pitched to a 3.42 ERA and made his first AL All-Star team. His ERA has improved in each of his last three seasons.

Season	ERA
2023	4.51
2024	3.60
2025	3.42

How the Orioles could trade for Joe Ryan

Minnesota isn’t all that close to contending, though anyone can get lucky in the AL Central. So, any trade package from Baltimore ought to be littered with prospects that aren’t far away from the majors. It’s also worth factoring that Ryan has one more year on his deal via a mutual option, so this trade won’t be cheap for the O’s.

This is likely just the beginning for Minnesota, which could ask for more from Baltimore in return should they wish.

Would the Orioles make this trade?

I’d sure hope so! In Ryan, the Orioles get a starting pitcher they can build around, which is something they’ve been lacking the last few seasons. Even Corbin Burnes couldn’t fill that void. Sure, losing some prospect capital hurts. Beavers is a top-70 overall prospect and at just 24 years old, should be MLB-ready and gives the Twins a logical replacement for Buxton should they wish to trade him as well. Mayo has struggled at the MLB level, but he’s a former top-100 prospect as well who can play first or third. In Gibson, Baltimore would fork over their best starting pitching prospect.

Would the Twins make this trade?

Well, that depends. If the Orioles were the only team interested in Ryan, I’d say yes. However, given the Red Sox previous interest and the relatively few starting pitchers available at this point in the winter, the Twins would be wise to hang onto Ryan until the trade deadline in hopes of a better offer. If Ryan pitches to the best of his ability – let’s say he’s an AL All-Star once again – then the Twins could land two top-100 talents or a better overall trade package than what the Orioles could offer above. Ryan would still have 1.5 years left of control at the deadline, which is good for two postseason runs on a contending team. What’s the rush?