Joe Ryan says trade-rumor noise doesn’t get to him anymore—because he’s already had to pitch through it. The Twins starter, who is 3.02 ERA in 11 starts in 2026, opened up on how last season’s trade-deadline uncertainty became a prompt to focus on the mound.
For the Minnesota Twins, 2026 has been a season of stop-and-start tension, and the inconsistency hasn’t gone unnoticed. It’s also fed the kind of speculation that follows any team that can’t decide what it is yet: rumors about a potential trade involving Joe Ryan.
Ryan has been through that particular storm before. In a recent interview, he explained how he handles the rumors when they start swirling and what happens to him mentally when the calendar gets close to the trade deadline.
“In the moment. I was like. ‘This is a lot to handle’… I was throwing the day after (the trade deadline last year). ” Ryan said. “So that was like. ‘Oh s**t. alright we gotta go’… In a way it was kind of a good thing. I got to go out there and just go pitch, had to go pitch, right?. You look back. you just remind yourself. like. every time there’s like that. the distractions are away from the actual game.”.
Then he circled back to what matters most to him: the chance to do his job at the highest level. “This is what I’ve always dreamed of doing is playing in the big leagues. I get to do this, like, this is an honor. So, like, I’m not gonna feel down or bad for myself.”
Ryan also made clear he’s grateful to be in the big leagues—and he doesn’t want outside chatter to steal from his performance. “Ryan added that he is ‘grateful’ to play in the big leagues. He does not want the outside distractions to take away from his performance on the mound.”
On the field, the right-handed starter has backed up the steadier mindset with results. Across 11 starts in the 2026 campaign, Ryan has recorded a 3.02 ERA.
That kind of production is exactly why he’s expected to draw attention from other teams. Ryan has been positioned as one of the most popular starting pitching trade candidates ahead of the deadline once again this season.
Whether Minnesota will entertain it remains tied to what the Twins decide they are doing in the bigger picture. Ryan has a mutual option on his contract for the 2027 season. and dealing him away this year is something Minnesota “surely considers” unless the team is able to compete for a postseason spot.
There’s a simple emotional contradiction at the heart of all of it: Ryan’s already said he feels the weight of the rumor noise when it hits. but he also says he’s learned how to turn that noise into fuel instead of friction. The Twins will soon have to decide whether to lean into that talent during a potential push—or listen to offers while they still can.
Minnesota Twins Joe Ryan MLB trade rumors trade deadline starting pitcher 2026 season ERA contract option
Lol Twins really might trade him again. Minnesota loves suffering.
If his ERA is 3.02 then why would they even trade him? Unless the article means like he’s doing bad and that’s why the rumors.
I mean he says the trade deadline pressure doesn’t bother him but he literally admitted he was freaking out last year. Also “throwing the day after” sounds like he pitched while still processing a trade which is kinda wild.
Mutual option 2027… so they’re just gonna use that to squeeze him out early? I don’t even follow baseball that hard but I swear every year it’s “might trade this guy” and then nothing happens, except my feed gets louder.