Twins to Make Another Run at Extending Byron Buxton

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Photo: Brace Hemmelgarn - Minnesota Twins/Getty Images

Byron Buxton is quickly becoming the most clamored for contract extension that we’ve seen from this Minnesota Twins fanbase since Joe Mauer, before the Pohlads wrote him a $184 million check to be cashed over 8 seasons. Good or bad.

President of Baseball Operations, Derek Falvey and his General Manager, Thad Levine have revealed their intentions to re-engage with Buxton’s representatives about a contract extension sometime after the 2021 season ends.

“We’ve never hid the fact that we’ve had some of those conversations with Byron and his agents. I fully anticipate we’ll have further conversations with him and his agents, both around the arbitration contract and ultimately doing a really deep dive again about what it looks like in the future.”

Derek Falvey (via Star Tribune)

Oh, you didn’t know the Twins were still playing baseball games? Don’t worry, neither did anyone else. But, the local big league club actually started their final series of the season @ Kansas City on Friday night. They lost and now sit at 71-89 on the season.

What does “further conversations” mean, exactly?

Darren Wolfson (KSTP) said Thursday on SKOR North that he “can see the Twins extending Byron Buxton before he hits the unrestricted free agent market”. We know there is interest on both sides of the Twins/Buxton fence and they apparently got close to finding a middle ground earlier this summer. So anything is possible. Others are more skeptical. Like LaVelle E. Neal (Star Tribune), who told KFAN Radio that his confidence level in a Buxton extension actually happening is a 3/10.

I 100% believe that the Minnesota Twins will engage Byron Buxton’s camp for an extension. After all, he only has one season left of team control so they need to extend or trade him before the 2022 trade deadline. But can we be sure they won’t push another embarrassing offer across the table? No, no we cannot.

Entering Friday, the Baxley, GA kid was hitting .299 with a .983 OPS and a 4.2 WAR with just 46 games played. Sure, Byron is injury-prone. But that’s also the only reason why the Minnesota Twins can even pretend to afford him. Byron Buxton is a 5-tool superstar who would cost $30 million or more per season if his past was full of injury-free, 150+ game seasons.

Sign Buxton or else…

There was optimism in an extension for Buck back in June and July. It never came to fruition because the cheap Minnesota front office only offered Byron about $10 million per year for 8 years. It was an obvious low ball offer, especially when the Twins knew $15 million would have gotten the deal done.

This is an MLB franchise that cannot afford to let Byron Buxton play baseball for another organization. I’m just not sure the fanbase would ever recover from that kind of betrayal. We’re an apathetic group right now, given how long the 2021 team has been out of the AL Central race. But Falvine does NOT want to poke this hibernating bear.

It will be PISSED OFF if it wakes up and Buxton is no longer in the den.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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