With the World Series at its end and winter fast approaching, the offseason rumor mill will soon begin churning. The Boston Red Sox are expected to be active in both the free agent and trade markets, and top-tier pitching should be on their radar.
Boston attempted to trade for Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan at the trade deadline, and many sources believe it could try to finish what it started this offseason, although it isn't confirmed that he'll be available. Ryan would be a clear No. 2 in the Sox's rotation behind Garrett Crochet, and after Brayan Bello's advancement in 2025, their top three would be deadly.
If the Twins decide to test the market for Ryan this offseason, there will be plenty of competition, and he's expected to fetch quite a return for Minnesota. A mailbag from Red Sox reporter Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic explained just how attainable Ryan could be for Boston (subscription required).
According to McCaffrey, Dan Hayes, Twins reporter for The Athletic, reports that Minnesota seeks two top-50 prospects for Ryan: "one with a mid-ceiling and one more of a lottery ticket," she wrote. The Twins don't need outfielders, even after their trade deadline roster purge this season, so Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu are off the table as potential candidates. McCaffrey proposed Sox No. 1 prospect Franklin Arias and 2025 first-round draft pick Kyson Witherspoon could be on the move in a Ryan trade.
Red Sox can easily meet Twins' demands for a Joe Ryan trade to bolster their rotation
The Red Sox's farm system may no longer rank among the tops in MLB since Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell have all reached the big leagues, but they still have plenty of high-level talent they could move to entice the Twins into a deal. Boston's No. 8 prospect, infielder Mikey Romero, doesn't have a clear path to the majors with the Sox, Campbell has been floated as a potential trade candidate, and there are plenty of pitchers in the lower levels of the system that they could part with (Brandon Clarke, Marcus Phillips, Anthony Eyanson, Yordanny Monegro, etc.).
Ryan posted a 3.42 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP, 194 strikeouts, 39 walks, and a 4.97 strikeout-to-walk rate over 171 innings as the Twins' ace in 2025. He makes sense as a trade target for Boston because he has two years of control remaining on his contract, and the Sox could use them to sign him to an extension if he's a good fit. He would also cost less to trade for and extend than Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who is also expected to be traded this winter, the year before he hits free agency.
The Red Sox have plenty of prospect depth in Minnesota's areas of need to make the trade for Ryan without it hurting too much, if at all. The Sox should jump at the chance to acquire such a pitcher while they can, and before the competition stacks up.