A surprising new rumor claims a two-time All-Star turned down trade interest from six teams last month, including the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.
Last week, the Minnesota Twins were the biggest sellers before the MLB trade deadline. The club made a whopping nine trades that moved 40% of their big league roster. Including stars Carlos Correa and Jhoan Duran. However, there was one notable player they did hold on to: Byron Buxton. Yet, that wasn’t from a lack of serious interest from rival teams.
- Byron Buxton stats: .282 AVG, .343 OBP, .561 SLG, .905 OPS, 23 HR, 59 RBI, 68 R
“Minnesota’s two-time All-Star center fielder confirmed Monday that teams engaged with his agent to gauge Buxton’s interest in waiving his no-trade clause before speaking with the Twins front office,” The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported. “Multiple sources confirmed at least six teams contacted Buxton’s agent, B.B. Abbott, about the possibility, including early in July before it was clear whether the Twins would be buyers or sellers.”
In his report, Hayes revealed the two franchises that “showed the most interest” in the 31-year-old outfielder. The Braves and the Mets. Two National League East teams on very different sides of the MLB playoff chase.
New York making a serious push for Buxton makes a ton of sense. Heading into the trade deadline, upgrading center field was one of their top priorities. Before Thursday, they were most linked to Chicago White Sox veteran Luis Robert Jr. However, with the asking price reportedly way too high, they pivoted and instead picked up Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins.
Buxton would have been a perfect addition for a team in World Series contention. Plus, he is under team control for three more seasons at a reasonable rate.
- Byron Buxton contract (Spotrac): Seven years, $100 million
Atlanta targeting Buxton is a bit surprising since they are 14 games out of the final Wild Card spot and headed toward their first losing season since 2017. However, reports from the team suggested they wouldn’t be sellers in July and want to hold on to key talent in the hopes of being a playoff contender again in 2026.
An outfield featuring Buxton, one-time NL MVP Ronald Acuna, Jr., and Jurickson Profar would be one of the best trios in the NL.
