The Minnesota Twins traded nearly everyone with value on their team at the 2025 trade deadline. That included Carlos Correa, Louis Varland, and Willi Castro. The Twins held onto Byron Buxton through it all, but that did not stop offseason trade rumors. He told The Athletic's Dan Hayes that he was not a fan of those trade rumors.
“If you know me and you know who I am, I don’t like my name being blasted around all the time,” Buxton told Hayes. “To have your name blasted and you know where we want to be, you know what we’re trying to work toward, it’s different.”
“All it takes is for somebody at the top to go to the media — ‘We’re not trading you,’” Buxton said. “Trade rumors stop.”
“The Twins say efforts to provide Buxton clarity about the franchise’s direction were made behind the scenes on multiple occasions,” Hayes reported.
Buxton has three years left on the seven-year, $100 million extension he signed with the Twins back in 2022. Injuries have been a big part of Buxton's career, but Minnesota stuck with him when other teams may not have. He wants to be in Minnesota for the rest of his career, even after a phenomenal 2025 season.
Buxton was an All-Star and participated in the Home Run Derby in his native Georgia last year. He played 126 games, the second-most of his career, and hit 35 home runs. Add in his elite defensive play in centerfield, and you have a piece for the Twins to build around.
The other trade pieces rumored in the offseason were starting pitchers Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez. Because the Twins have not said anything publicly, many fans and pundits are wondering about their availability. But as the Buxton situation shows, they could have said something privately that made those trade talks irrelevant.
