The Minnesota Twins declined Joe Ryan’s $13 million mutual option for 2027 on Friday. They retained the right to bring him back through salary arbitration.
The Twins’ decision, reported by Dan Hayes of The Athletic, changed the mechanism for determining his next salary. It did not send him into free agency. Ryan remained under club control for one more year.
Minnesota therefore still has an established starter to include in its plans while evaluating the rest of the rotation.
That distinction matters when assessing the opening moves of the offseason. An option rejection can look like a departure on a transaction feed. In Ryan’s case, a year of arbitration eligibility preserved the team’s ability to retain him.
Arbitration Offers a Less Expensive Path
MLB Trade Rumors projected Ryan’s next salary at $9.6 million, a figure included in the Twins’ major contract decisions. The contract also included a $100,000 option buyout.
Using that estimate, the salary difference between the rejected option and arbitration would be $3.4 million, before accounting for the buyout. The final comparison could change because a projection is neither an agreement nor an arbitration award.
The Twins still need to tender Ryan a contract and settle his compensation through an agreement or the arbitration process. Friday’s decision alone did not establish his 2027 salary.
It also did not create $13 million in new spending room. Minnesota would still need to budget for Ryan if it keeps him. Treating the entire option amount as available cash would overstate what the decision accomplished.
The Twins’ payroll analysis explained why arbitration commitments belong in the spending calculation alongside guaranteed contracts. Ryan is an especially useful example of that distinction.
His Longer-Term Future Still Requires a Decision
Ryan finished 2026 with a 3.79 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 159 strikeouts against 31 walks in 144.2 innings. He made 27 starts. Those results gave Minnesota a meaningful contributor to retain, even with questions about what happens beyond next year.
The remaining year of control leaves several possible paths. The Twins can keep Ryan for a playoff push, explore an extension, or consider trade offers. Declining the option did not establish which of those approaches the front office prefers.
My recommendation is to budget for his return while evaluating any proposal against the cost of replacing his innings.
That replacement question deserves particular attention while Pablo López continues his rehabilitation. The assessment of Lopez’s recovery outlined why an encouraging timetable still leaves uncertainty about next spring.
Trading Ryan would require a stronger justification than the desire to reduce payroll. An acceptable return should improve the overall roster enough to compensate for losing a dependable rotation option.
For now, Minnesota has preserved a practical way to keep him at a potentially lower salary. The more consequential decision will be how the club uses that final year of control.
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