Twins floated in hypothetical three-team trade involving Byron Buxton

Bleacher Report threw out the idea of the Twins trading Buxton and getting two prospects and a first baseman in return.

Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton (25) doubles in the first inning against Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich at Target Field in Minneapolis on Sept. 27, 2024. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

For every team that’s not the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, who begin their quests for a World Series crown on Friday, it’s the offseason and a dead time for baseball news. That's when fun ideas begin to emerge.

The Twins are in the midst of that dead period after a disappointing season in which a late-season collapse resulted in them missing out on the postseason against all odds. But they were mentioned in one of those fun ideas, a hypothetical three-team trade idea that's not realistic, but it's a fun thought experiment nevertheless.

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller wrote an article titled “Wild MLB Trade Ideas We’d Love to See Come True in 2024-25 Offseason,” which floated the idea of a three-team trade between the Twins, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros that would include current face of the franchise in center fielder Byron Buxton. Brace yourself for impact.

In the hypothetical trade, the Twins would send the star center fielder and cash considerations to the Astros. In return, they'd receive first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and infielder prospect Max Wagner from the Orioles, as well as getting left-handed pitching prospect Colton Gordon from the Astros.

The Orioles, meanwhile, would receive starting pitcher J.P. France from Houston.

Now, first and foremost what makes this trade unrealistic, which Miller points out in the article, is that Buxton has a full no-trade clause, so in order for anything to happen, he'd have to waive that. But for the sake of the thought experiment, let's take a look at what the Twins would be getting and losing in the potential three-team blockbuster.

They’d first be getting an answer at first base in Mountcastle, who slashed .271/.425/.733 with 13 homers and 63 RBIs in 124 games for the Orioles last season. Carlos Santana played well at first base last season, but he was on a one-year deal, and Alex Kirilloff hasn’t been able to stay healthy. The Twins can play Jose Miranda at first, too, but that’s only if Royce Lewis can remain healthy enough to be the everyday third baseman, which hasn’t been the case as of yet. 

"Minnesota does need a 1B/DH, too, as Carlos Santana was on a one-year deal and isn't getting any younger anyway," MIller wrote. "Getting Mountcastle, a pair of respectable prospects and some salary relief by getting out from under the $60M left on Buxton's contract might do the trick."

Those prospects — Wagner and Gordon — are both intriguing players. Wagner is the No. 23-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, though lower-back issues derailed his last minor league season, limiting him to 25 games. But in 2023, Wagner slashed .239/.405/.747 with 13 homers and 54 RBIs in 107 games across stints with the High-A and Double-A clubs.

They’d get a pitcher in Gordon who appears close to making the jump to the big leagues. He made 25 appearances — 24 starts — in Triple-A last season and posted a 3.94 earned-run average with 124 strikeouts across 123 1/3 innings. 

The Astros, of course, would be getting a star center fielder in Buxton, who played over 100 games for just the second time in his career last season, and slashed .279/.524/.859 with 18 homers and 56 RBIs.

The Orioles would get a solid rotation starter in France, whose season came to a premature end due to shoulder surgery. But France was coming off an excellent rookie season with a 3.83 ERA and an 11-6 record in 24 appearances — 23 starts — across 136 1/3 innings while fanning 101 batters.

"The big question here is whether Minnesota is getting enough to part with one of the oft-injured faces of its franchise," Miller wrote.

Parting ways with Buxton is likely something the Twins wouldn't want to consider as the star center fielder is electric whenever he's on the field. And of course, this is just a hypothetical trade for the sake of a fun thought experiment. A trade almost assuredly isn't on the horizon, but it's an interesting idea nevertheless.