Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton may be on the trade market after efforts to reach a contract extension failed.
Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic were first to report that Buxton and the Twins failed to agree on a new contract. The Twins maxed their offer at seven years and $80 million, but Buxton’s camp was not satisfied.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network suggested the Twins would at least listen to trade offers for Buxton, with the Philadelphia Phillies named as one potential destination.
#MNTwins will listen on Buxton trade offers but with a year to go of control it’s far from certain he’ll be moved. Philly is among teams with interest.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 25, 2021
A trade before the July 30 deadline is still unrealistic. Part of that is because Buxton is on the IL, and he’s also under team control for 2022. The Twins could probably do better trading Buxton in the offseason, which looks to be a more likely scenario.
Buxton, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft, has been one of the most exciting and dynamic players in baseball, at least when he’s on the field. The 27-year-old has struggled to stay healthy during his career, and has only played more than 100 games in a season once in his MLB career. Part of that is due to his willingness to sacrifice his body on awesome plays like this. It’s why he’ll always be an injury risk, but it also figures to make him a lot of money in free agency.
