Twins All-Star outfielder Byron Buxton has been the subject of trade rumors for the last few years. He’s coveted by fans of teams in contention that could use another bat and plenty of media members will list him as a trade candidate as we inch closer to the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
The only problem is that Buxton really doesn’t seem to want to leave the Twins. Last year at All-Star media day, he was pretty adamant that he didn’t want to be traded and kept saying, “I’m a Twin.”
Sure enough, he went back to a similar refrain and was a bit more emphatic this week.
“I don’t give a f—,” Buxton reported Thursday, via The Athletic. “End of the day, nobody’s in my shoes. Nobody can say anything about what I’m going to do. I know what I’m doing. The only way I’m getting out of here — they’re going to have to come talk to me and tell me something else. Simple as that. … I ain’t reported nothing about leaving, nor will I. I’m a Twin.”
First off, that’s an excellent opening line. Secondly, Buxton has a no-trade clause, so it would take some convincing on the Twins’ end for a trade to come to fruition.
Right now, why would they even want to attempt that?
The Twins (36-40) have won four games in a row and are only 1.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League. They are also just 4.5 games out of first place in the AL Central. That’s contention. No team in this position should sell.
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Buxton, 32, is also one of the best power hitters in the league right now. Through 64 games, he’s hitting .270/.330/.589 (148 OPS+) with 23 home runs and 2.7 WAR. He set a career high last season with 35 homers and looks like he might breeze by that this time around.
If Buxton did somehow become available, he’d be the biggest position player on the market next month. Given that he’s only due a touch over $30 million the next two years (with performance bonuses available), he’d be an awfully hot commodity and the Twins could cash in with a nice prospect package coming back.
Again, though, they aren’t right now in a position to sell and he’s made it pretty clear he would love to exercise that no-trade clause.
So, sure, teams like the Braves (Buxton was born and raised in Georgia), Phillies and a handful of others might desperately wish that Buxton would become available and also be amenable to a trade, but the reality of the situation is that the Twins are contending and Buxton doesn’t want to leave anyway.
Could things change in the next five weeks? Sure. For now, though, trading for Buxton is just a pipe dream.
