Will the Twins’ Selloff Continue This Offseason? Fans Think So…

The Minnesota Twins have struggled to meet expectations all year, going back to Opening Day in St. Louis. When the trade deadline rolled around on July 31, Rocco Baldelli’s latest group of underachievers sat with a record of 51-57, 12 games back in the AL Central and no hope remaining in the Wild Card race.

By that point, Minnesota’s deadline path was pretty clear. Still, nobody expected what came next, a roster tear down that saw 40% of their active roster dealt, including 60% of the bullpen, dealt away to different MLB rival.

Featured in the trade deadline whirlwind was a move that allowed the Twins to pay more than $30 million to get rid of the boat anchor that had become Carlos Correa.

But it was the moves around the Correa deal that may have raised more red flags than the offloading of his bloated contract, especially when they decided to trade away ALL of their young relievers — Louie Varland, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran.

It was those three moves, in conjunction with each other, that signaled to fans what the Pohlads and their sock puppet president Derek Falvey may have planned for the upcoming offseason.

And as we inch closer to fall, it’s feeling more and more plausible that the Minnesota Twins could enter full rebuild Pohlad penny-pincher mode this offseason. Fans can feel it, too.

Fans expect Minnesota Twins to deal Pablo Lopez AND Joe Ryan

Unlike what we had at the deadline, there will be no hope that ownership will sell in time to save this era of Twins baseball. Because the Pohlads are here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, that may not be the case for some of the top players remaining on roster, a reality fans seem to have already accepted.

At the trade deadline the Twins moved Carlos Correa in a salary dump. They traded so much of their roster they considered moving star pitcher Joe Ryan, despite his team control. If that was on the table, then Pablo Lopez, who is better and more expensive,

Related: MN Twins Fans Make Hatred for Pohlads 98.5% Loud and Clear

The results of The Athletic’s poll were shared by Aaron Gleeman. Respondents, nearly 6,000 of them, suggesting that both Lopez and Ryan are gone is unfortunate. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility.

If Derek Falvey were to trade Joe Ryan, the reasoning would be building for the future and extracting a massive haul. He’s second-year arbitration eligible this offseason, and stands to make a manageable $6 million salary in 2026.

For a Cy Young candidate who continues to get better every season, Falvey would have to get quite the offer to deal Ryan, which is probably why he is still here, unlike many of his pre-deadline teammates.

Trading Pablo Lopez could make a bit more sense

On the flip side, Pablo Lopez is set to make $21.75 million each of the next two seasons. That’s the most expensive deal on the books for 2026, and also the only one besides Byron Buxton’s (untradable) $15 million.

Minnesota would still get a strong return for Lopez. He owns a 2.82 ERA (3.04 FIP) this season, and returns to the mound against the Kansas City Royals with room to substantiate his health. If he’s made available, there is no way he wouldn’t be among the most coveted assets on the market this offseason.

Pablo López, Nasty 87mph Changeup…and Sword. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ZfXG7u9IVr

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 24, 2025

A large part of the reason Minnesota struggled to compete this season was because Lopez wasn’t there to complement Ryan. They don’t have an immediate succession plan, and short of nailing the return for him, they aren’t going to pay for one either.

The Pohlads crushed payroll after a season in which the Twins had their most successful postseason run in decades. They have dropped it again despite bringing on new parties to buy down their debt. Until those in charge are going to operate with a forward thinking train of though, things will be difficult for the front office.