The Atlanta Braves open up a three-game divisional series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. The Braves are MLB’s hottest team with an 18-8 record, but no team is perfect, right?
As trade rumors start to circulate, the Atlanta Braves have constantly been linked to Minnesota Twins‘ starter Joe Ryan. Ryan is thought to be one of the top trade candidates in MLB, and that dates back almost a year to the 2025 MLB trade deadline. A recent trade idea by SI.com’s Ryan Shea features the Braves landing Joe Ryan, but it comes at a cost of players that Atlanta may not want to deal away.
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Braves Predicted to Land Joe Ryan At Steep Cost
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)Joe Ryan #41 of the Minnesota Twins could be a top Red Sox trade target, especially after the team did not make a qualifying offer to Lucas Giolito.
Per Ryan Shea, here are the full trade details:
“Braves Acquire: SP Joe Ryan, Â Twins Acquire: RHP JR Ritchie, RHP Owen Murphy, OF Luis Guanipa”
Per ESPN’s David Schoenfield, the Twins’ top trade candidate this season is Joe Ryan:
“Ryan was a popular trade candidate this past offseason, but the Twins kept him and are off to a strong start, even after Pablo Lopez’s season-ending elbow injury. Of course, if they continue to play well, Ryan is more likely to stay put — although we also know the Twins weren’t that far out of the playoff race last trade deadline when they traded 11 players to cut payroll and add prospects.”
Conversely, Shoenfield names Owen Murphy as the Atlanta Braves’ top trade asset ahead of the summer, which is likely where this trade idea stems from.
Joe Ryan is under team control through the 2027 season, so if he is to be dealt, it would have to be for a strong package, and that’s where Braves’ fans won’t like starter JR Ritchie in this proposed deal. Ritchie is fresh off his first MLB start, and it was a dandy. He went seven innings, struck out seven batters, and gave up just two runs.
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Who Says ‘No’ To This Proposed Joe Ryan Trade?
Gosh, this is very difficult to decide which team this proposed trade would benefit.
For the Twins, this is probably the best possible prospect package you’re going to get for Joe Ryan. It’s unclear exactly what they want for their All-Star starter, but if Ryan’s name continues to circulate in trade rumors, those details will surface soon.
On the Braves’ side, their winning ways will come with added expectations for them to go deep in the MLB playoffs this October, and in order to do that, adding another starter could push them over the top.
Final verdict: I’d say the Atlanta Braves say no to this hypothetical trade idea, because they want to hold onto JR Ritchie and Owen Murphy. For Ritchie, the reason is clear. He’s excelled at the Triple-A level to the point where he doesn’t really belong there, and the Braves’ front office likely wants to continue to evaluate him at the big league level.
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