Byron Buxton Trade Reportedly Was Explored by Mets, Braves, More MLB Teams at Deadline

The Minnesota Twins' fire sale ahead of the MLB trade deadline could've been even bigger.

The Athletic's Dan Hayes reported Monday that "at least six teams" reached out to the agent for Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets included in that group.

Buxton, who has a full no-trade clause through the 2026 season, told Hayes there was never a doubt about wanting to stay in Minnesota.

"Where I come from, your word means everything," he said. "My track record of how I'm still here and how I got here is different. You've gotta have a lot of people behind you. Not just the family, but everybody. Minnesota, they did that. That's home."

Nobody was shocked to see the Twins be a seller at the deadline. They headed into the All-Star break at 47-49 and their fortunes didn't improve when the season resumed.

The extent of the franchise's teardown was unexpected. Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Carlos Correa, Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe and Willi Castro. From the outside, it certainly looks as though the front office had a firm mandate to slash payroll as the Pohlad family tries to find a buyer.

Trading Buxton undoubtedly would've netted a big haul. ESPN's David Schoenfield entertained the exercise in early July and floated three packages that would help set the table for the future.

The two-time All-Star has 23 home runs, 17 stolen bases and a .282/.343/.561 slash line. His 3.9 WAR ranks 17th among qualified position players at FanGraphs.

At 31 years old, it's also worth asking whether Buxton will continue to perform at his current level when the Twins are ready to contend again. They aren't a marquee destination for stars, and it could be a while before their replenished farm system bears fruit. The short-term outlook isn't great.

Imagine the fan response, though, if Minnesota had actually dealt its cornerstone talent. When so much of the Twins' deadline business was focused on making them more attractive for prospective owners, a Buxton trade might've had the opposite effect.

When he's under contract through his age-35 season, there's a chance Buxton follows in Joe Mauer's footsteps and spends his entire career in Minneapolis. Once the scale of the rebuild becomes clear, he could prefer down the road to join a contender.

At least for now, there's no questioning where his allegiances are.