Twins and right hand Joe Ryan have reached an agreement on a new contract, so they are avoiding arbitration, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post. He will be guaranteed $6.2MM in the deal, in the form of a $6.1MM salary and a $100K buyout with a $13MM co-op option for 2027.
Ryan was one of 18 players without a contract when the application deadline passed earlier this month. He will enter his second of three seasons of arbitration, making $3MM last year. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz has projected him to be raised to $5.8MM this year. The Twins topped that at $5.85MM, with Ryan himself at $6.35MM, a $500K gap.
Most teams these days use a “file and litigate” approach, meaning they end contract negotiations one year after the application deadline. This is to give them leverage in pre-deadline negotiations and to prevent players from filling in unreasonably high numbers in an attempt to set an aggressive bargaining position. The arbiter can only choose the player or team number, not the center.
Even though the team has a “file and trial” policy, exceptions are made for deals longer than one year, even if that extra year is optional. That gives the club a way to avoid a potentially contentious hearing while sticking vaguely to its policy. A deal with an option cannot be used as a benchmark in a future arb hearing, which is a feature.
Arbitration hearings are generally considered a normal part of business but have sometimes occurred when the relationship between a player and a club has been damaged. Corbin Burns he said that after his hearing with the Brewers three years ago. Ryan and the twins avoided that by finding a number in the middle of their fill stats.
A partnership option is usually just a balance sheet to move part of the payment to the end of the season for that purchase. Joint choices are almost never taken by both parties. Even if the option is rejected, Ryan will still be under the club’s control in 2027.
Ryan was the subject of many trade rumors last summer as the Twins were traded for firebrands. They sold most of their bulls once Carlos Correa but he caught other players, including Ryan. It was expected that they would first move him this winter but they have tried to return to the competition in 2026.
Given his small salary and one more year of club control, he will have significant trade value at the deadline if he is healthy and the Twins return to the top, though the club hopes to avoid that scenario and would like Ryan to play meaningful games for the team in September and October.
The Minnesota arbitration class has been settled. As for the rest of the division, more than 15 cases will be heard this year. As mentioned, 18 players were out of contract as of the deadline. Since then, Cade Cavalli, Bryce Miller and now Ryan has struck new deals to avoid a hearing.
Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images
