Joe Ryan Now Praising Minnesota Twins?

The Minnesota Twins have done very little right this season. They have eclipsed the 90-loss threshold, and ownership botched the sale of the team. The front office tore the roster down to the studs at the trade deadline, and veteran leaders have talked openly about the situation.

Joe Ryan was among the players dangled at the deadline, but ultimately the Boston Red Sox couldn’t complete the deal. He went through a whirlwind of emotions in the time since, but now is seemingly in favor of what the front office is doing.

MN Twins path forward makes sense to Joe Ryan

It was less than three weeks ago that Joe Ryan was calling out the front office and ownership for a Sonny Gray move that sparked this downturn. Now he seemingly is stepping back and singing a different tune. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes talked with him following Friday’s loss in Philadelphia.

“At the end of the day, I see the big picture and the decisions they’ve made, and I think they’re good decisions and the trajectory of the organization is positive. I think they’re doing a really good job of working with what we have and making the right decisions on the field right now and putting a little more pressure on teams. The young guys that are stepping up, obviously, there have been a couple of rocky outings here and there, but for the most part, guys like Taj (Bradley) and Mick (Abel), those guys look really good.”

Joe Ryan – The Athletic

It’s beyond plausible that Ryan was simply frustrated with what the Twins did at the trade deadline. Jhoan Duran was among the players moved, and he shared that sentiment with Hayes on Friday in Philadelphia as well. Now that he’s had time to process, it seems Ryan is a bit more well-reasoned with his take.

“I felt like I was in shock for a couple of weeks after that, and then it kind of settled in. (My future) is so far out of my control. But it seems like the team is making good decisions from the front office and coaching staff down to give ourselves a chance to win a couple more ballgames. … I think the team’s going to be in a really good spot going forward. Hopefully we’ll make a couple of other moves and see where that goes, but I’m not too worried about that.”

Joe Ryan – The Athletic

It’s on odd full-circle moment. He does acknowledge that the front office is “working with what they have” as an understanding that ownership ties one arm behind their backs. That means getting good talent in exchange for expensive players is a must. It remains to be seen if Bradley and Abel fit that mold though.

Knowing there may not be a path to make other impactful moves, Ryan dances around what his future could look like. It wasn’t long ago that it appeared as though it wouldn’t be in Minnesota. If it is, he’ll have to do plenty of the heavy lifting.

He finished this season with a career-best 3.47 ERA (3.74 FIP), but a bad stretch since mid-August (6.75 ERA in his final seven starts) wiped out a 2.72 ERA. Those sort of numbers would have been worthy of Cy Young votes. Finishing strong is something that becomes a priority for a guy needing to lead any sort of a future postseason push.

Youth provides a mixed bag for Twins

Taj Bradley has had some moments of execution for the Twins, but he finished with a 6.61 ERA (4.74 FIP) across 31 1/3 (six starts) innings. He has nearly 400 innings at the big league level, and owns a 4.86 ERA. He’s still just 24 years old, but Minnesota must develop him into something more for that move to make sense.

Taj Bradley's 3Ks in the 6th. pic.twitter.com/3UdMQ1K84y

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 25, 2025

Abel is the same age as Bradley, but has just 33 innings at the big league level. He’ll finish his season pitching against his former employer on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. Abel has given up 14 runs (13 earned) in just eight innings for the Twins and was once demoted back to Triple-A. He’s dominated the minors but has to unlock the next level.

Hypothetically there’s an understanding of what Derek Falvey and Jeremy Zoll are doing. That doesn’t mean it’s enough to have a realistic path forward. The Twins still have just two surefire big league starters, and both Ryan and Pablo Lopez could be trade candidates this offseason.

For now Ryan is toeing the company line it seems, but at some point, it can’t be fun playing for a loser with little opportunity to have things improve.