MN Twins Back on Byron Buxton’s Bad Side
Pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training, and the first Minnesota Twins full-squad practice down in Fort Myers is set for Monday.
Last trade deadline, the Pohlads mandated president Derek Falvey tear down the Twins’ roster. After dealing away Carlos Correa, Willi Castro and most of the bullpen, Minnesota stopped just short of going full-rebuild.
That led into an offseason where more selling was expected. Thus, for much of the past few months, trade rumors surrounding Minnesota’s best players — Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez and Byron Buxton — were everywhere.
That was until the MLB winter meetings, when the Minnesota Twins suddenly changed course and announced plans to contend in 2026, putting a swift end to all of the trade rumors.
Byron Buxton ticked off at Minnesota Twins
But for Byron Buxton, the damage had already been done. In an interview posted this weekend the Star Tribune, Buxton professed to Bobby Nightengale just how much it bothered him seeing his name in trade rumors for months, especially when nobody within the Twins organization put an end to them.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since the end of last season, made it clear there were a few things that upset him throughout this past offseason. Buxton, who holds a full no-trade clause in his contract, didn’t like seeing his name floating in trade rumors.
When Buxton’s name surfaced in trade rumors after the season ended, when there were questions about whether the Twins would commit to an even deeper rebuilding phase by trading pitchers Joe Ryan and Pablo López, he felt disrespected when the Twins didn’t publicly shut down any of the speculation like he did last summer.
“All it takes is for somebody at the top to go to the media, ‘We’re not trading you,’ ” Buxton said Sunday, Feb. 15. “Trade rumors stop, and now we don’t have those conversations. That’s how simple this could get.”
Byron Buxton – Star Tribune
For years, Buxton has publicly devoted himself to the Minnesota Twins, no matter how important winning was to the Pohlads at that point in time. But when Nightengale asked Buck if he remains committed, after this offseason, he admitted, “I ain’t gonna say that, either.”
In 126 games last season, Buxton enjoyed the best season of his MLB career, slashing .264/.327/.551 with a career-high 35 home runs and a perfect 24 for 24 in stolen base attempts.
Unfortunately, the story surrounding Buxton at the deadline, and for part of the offseason, wasn’t of his greatness but rather his trade availability. That was a misstep by the organization, and it’s something they’ll need to smooth over.
Derek Falvey is no longer with the franchise, so that comes down to Jeremy Zoll and new face Tom Pohlad, who has shown a bigger commitment to keeping Buxton happy than other Pohlads before him. This offseason, Tom flew to Atlanta to meet with Buxton in person, something no other Pohlad has done.
“I ain’t ever known no other [owner] that came down and wanted to talk. Nevertheless, come in the clubhouse and want to talk. That’s a big change in getting where we want to get to.”
Byron Buxton – Star Tribune
MVP snub fueling MN Twins star
It’s not just the Minnesota Twins organization that ticked Buxton off over the last season. Members of the BBWAA aren’t on his good side either. Despite finishing 9th in the American League by fWAR, Buxton was voted 11th in AL MVP voting, which cost him $3 million worth of contract incentives.
“I was pissed, I ain’t going to lie to you. You feel like you did a little bit more than what you thought you could have. You surprised yourself a little bit. It was one of those where you thought you put yourself in a good position, and you didn’t, so it’s fire. I actually took that, and I got a picture on my damn wall. Every day I walk in my gym, that’s what I look at.”
Byron Buxton – Star Tribune
This season Buxton won’t have to wait long to prove the doubters wrong. Rather than sit through a bunch of meaningless Grapefruit League games, the Minnesota Twins superstar will be on the biggest stage in the World Baseball Classic.
Team USA lost Corbin Carroll to a hamate bone injury, so Buxton joins Aaron Judge and Pete Crow-Armstrong as the only outfielders on the roster. It’s possible he plays left field with PCA in center, but he’s going to be relied upon plenty.
Minnesota will be hoping their star returns with a clean bill of health and a gold medal. In the meantime, they can do work behind the scenes to get of his shit list and position the star for a season to top the last one.
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