Minnesota Twins Demanding Insane Return for Talented Relievers

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Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins
Credit: Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

The 2025 MLB trade deadline will officially be one week away on Thursday. Given the Minnesota Twins’ mediocre start to the second half, president Derek Falvey and his front office have positioned themselves as deadline sellers, willing to take calls on any and all talent.

We know the MN Twins are already open to selling off their expiring contracts. In the lineup, that likely means Willi Castro and Harrison Bader will be elsewhere by August 1, as is the case for contributing pitchers like Chris Paddack, Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart.

But on Wednesday, more details are beginning to surface surrounding what exactly Falvey & Co. have up their sleeves over the next week, and what they are demanding, in return for some of their more valuable trade deadline assets.

Minnesota Twins demanding insane haul for coveted relievers

While the Twins might get jumpy if you call them on one of their expiring contract, the same cannot be said for the top-tier talent that buying teams covet most. If teams want to pry Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax or Joe Ryan from Minnesota, they’re going to have to pay the piper.

And according to Jeff Passan (ESPN), the toll for the two relievers mentioned above, Duran and Jax, is currently set at TWO top-100 MLB prospects for each, an insane cost for deadline bullpen help, even if both are under contract through 2027. Inquiring execs hope that cost will come down over the next week.

Teams adore Joe Ryan, and while he is perhaps the best arm available of any in the mix at the deadline, teams look at what the Twins are asking for to acquire Duran or Jax — at least two top-100-caliber prospects — and aren’t inclined to spend a whole lot of time workshopping deals for a top-10 starter this season with two more years of club control.

Perhaps the ask on Duran and Jax deflates between now and the deadline, but Minnesota is historically a team that sets a high bar on returns and doesn’t deviate.

Jeff Passan – ESPN

Related: Another Coveted MN Twin Open to Being Traded

While the cost to do business with the Minnesota Twins may be high, there is a method to Falvey’s madness. The Minnesota Twins have two of the best relievers available at the deadline and teams with World Series dreams are desperate to add more backend bullpen help for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.

Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran still expected to be traded, despite high asking price

Griffin Jax entered the Twins game on Wednesday against the LA Dodgers with 43.1 innings innings pitched on the season. The 30-year-old’s 3.74 ERA looks pretty good, but it’s his 1.92 FIP and 14.1 K/9 that stand out on Jax’s 2025 stat sheet.

Then, there’s Jhoan Duran, who is in the midst of arguably the best season of his young, impressive career. Through 46.1 innings, the 27-year-old is toting a 1.94 ERA, down from 3.64 in 2024. To go along with his impressive earned runs average, Jhoan has a 1.144 WHIP, 2.40 FIP and an absolutely absurd 218 OPS+.

And that is why, even though the cost could be exorbitant, the current expectation around the league is that Minnesota will deal at least one of their two top bullpen arms by July 31, according to Alden Gonzalez (ESPN), though Falvey is not expected to budge that much on price.

“Several high-profile teams are in need of bullpen help ahead of the trade deadline — including the Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Dodgers — and the Twins have two of the best available in Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. The sense is that at least one of them will be traded, but those who are looking for relief help expect the asking price to be very high…”

Alden Gonzalez – ESPN

Related: Minnesota Twins Lose Young Pitcher to Injured List

Between the sale of the team and the multiple years remaining of team control, the Minnesota Twins do not appear to be interested in selling off their most talented pieces, unless their trade partner is wholly committed to compensating them at top dollar.

Will they get what they want or end up with a relatively quiet trade deadline? Only time will tell.

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