Byron Buxton looks to be a calming presence in Twins' clubhouse after a flurry of deadline moves
Two days later, Buxton was still trying to take in all the moves the Twins made as the front office made nine trades and turned over nearly 40% of the roster.
Even though the All-Star center fielder is on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation, Buxton joined the Twins in Cleveland for this weekend's series as the franchise's clubhouse leader wanted to be there to provide support and be a sounding board for teammates.
'I mean ,trading nine guys like that is something that's not normal, so it was a little bit of a shock for sure,' Buxton said before Saturday's game. 'Right now, obviously, I haven't processed it. I don't know who has processed it, but something we'll talk about a little bit more at the end of the season.'
Manager Rocco Baldelli said that having Buxton on the trip was important, not only for the support that he can give, but also because he remains on track to rejoin the lineup on Wednesday when the Twins are at Detroit.
'Keeping him with our trainers here and being able to get on the field here with the group when he's ready was important, but also the support that he's going to be giving the guys around him. Everybody looks to him, everyone looks to see how he'll respond to things, and he's a passionate guy. He cares about his teammates and his team and guys respect him immensely.'
Buxton said he understands that baseball is a business and he anticipated moves were going to be made near the deadline. However, the amount of turnover was surprising.
The Twins' most-significant move near the deadline was when shortstop Carlos Correa was dealt to Houston. Correa broke into the majors with the Astros and still has a house in Houston as he waived his no-trade clause.
'It's one of those things where you didn't think he was going to leave but with the opportunity that was ahead of him and just him being an Astro before, it's hard to pass that up in his situation. I couldn't be happier for him and his family. It is what's best for him,' Buxton said about Correa.
While there are a lot of unknowns about the Twins as the team remains for sale, Buxton is trying to focus on the present. That includes making sure the new faces on the team can get acclimated quickly as well as trying to make sure the season doesn't spiral too much out of control.
Minnesota won the AL Central in 2023, but missed the playoffs with an 82-80 mark last season. The Twins entered Saturday at 51-58 and on a three-game losing streak.
'These guys coming up, I don't want them to look at this as 'I finally got a shot.' You came up here because you want to win and you want to be better. So it's just playing together and having each other's backs is going to be the biggest thing going forward,' he said.
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Los Angeles Times
4 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Times of Troy: What's the best-case scenario for USC football this season?
Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where the college football offseason is now fully in the rearview mirror. USC opened its preseason camp last week, and already, my arms are a deep shade of red from failure to wear sunscreen at practice. We're back, baby. This is the time of year when anything is possible. (Except for me getting an even tan.) Now is the time to convince yourself of your team's unproven quarterback. Or buy into the hype about the rebuilt defensive line. Maybe you even start to come around on that coach you said you'd never trust again. There's plenty of time for us to get cynical in the next several weeks. But for this week, let's consider what a best-case scenario might look like for USC's season. Let's start here: I don't think it's crazy to convince yourself of a world where Lincoln Riley could lead USC to the College Football Playoff. I'm not suggesting that's the likely outcome. (In my actual opinion, it's not.) But since we're wearing our cardinal-and-gold-colored glasses this morning, let's consider what that path might look like. It's safe to assume that a berth in the playoff would require winning 10 games. Just one team got in with three losses last year — Clemson — and that's only because they had an automatic bid. USC's two toughest games of the season, by far, are its road tilts against Notre Dame and Oregon. I have a hard time envisioning a scenario in which the Trojans escape with two wins against surefire top-10 teams on the road. Losses in both would, in turn, require USC to run the table in their other 10. That's not easy, no matter who you are. So in any scenario that ends with USC slipping into the playoff probably starts with stealing a win in one of Eugene or South Bend. There are plenty of other points in the road where the Trojans could still stumble. If USC can afford to lose just one other game to maintain its playoff candidacy, as last year's field suggests, that means it must win at least three of these four games: Michigan and Iowa, at home, and Illinois and Nebraska, on the road. All four feel like coin flips, as of early August. Not only that, but USC also can't afford to blow any of its games against inferior conference opponents such as Purdue, Michigan State and Northwestern. That shouldn't be a problem. But, well … you never know. Even in a best-case scenario, it's reasonable to expect at least one loss in that crop of seven games. But if somehow USC emerged from its second Big Ten season with a 10-2 record, USC would probably punch its first ticket to the College Football Playoff. It's just that simple. Right? Well … not exactly. But we're staying optimistic here! Which, in this 10-win scenario, means first and foremost that USC's defense — and its defensive line in particular — will have taken a major step forward in Year 2 under D'Anton Lynn. Defensive end Kameryn Fountain and defensive tackle Devan Thompkins will have lived up to their preseason hype with All-Big Ten seasons, while Eric Gentry will lead the Big Ten in sacks before skyrocketing into the first round of the upcoming NFL draft. It's not that difficult to imagine, really. But that sort of leap on defense probably also means more suitors for Lynn in the offseason — either in the NFL or as a college head coach — which is a problem for another day. The best-case scenario for USC's offense, meanwhile, starts with a breakout season for quarterback Jayden Maiava, who, in this hypothetical, proves to be a much better fit for Riley's offense than Miller Moss was a year ago. USC throws deep more often than ever before under Riley, establishing itself again as one of the most explosive offenses in college football. Maiava manages to limit the back-breaking mistakes that plagued him late last season and even leads a few game-winning drives in the fourth quarter. A steady rushing attack, in this scenario, is key to keeping the pressure off of Maiava, as Riley, following an offseason of soul-searching, finally realizes the true meaning of leaning on the run. Waymond Jordan, in turn, puts together a breakout season in USC's backfield and becomes a household name in the Big Ten, while the offensive line manages to avoid any major injuries. None of those things feel impossible, on their own. Actually reaching that best-case scenario, however, requires a significant number of those variables tilting the Trojans' way. Could it happen? Of course. But with so much uncertainty, this USC season could just as easily veer in the other direction, too. Next week, we'll talk about what that could look like — and how low the Trojans could potentially go, if everything happens to go awry. The Heisman-winning quarterback and FOX analyst joined me to give his thoughts on USC, on behalf of Abbott's 'We Give Blood' drive, which encourages Big Ten fans to donate. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Question: What excites you about this USC roster? Where do you have questions? Leinart: What excites me is — there's always expectation at USC — but we're flying under the radar. I don't even think we're in the top 25 preseason, which is fine. We made strides on defense last year with Coach Lynn. I thought he was fantastic. We've gotten a lot of big dudes in the portal, which we need. We needed the size up front. I'm excited to see what Jayden does with a full year and a full offseason ahead of Year 2 in Lincoln's system. The schedule is kind of favorable, like you have some games you can win there and really make a run. To me, this year is about finishing for them. Last year they were very close in a lot of games, but close doesn't win you football games. You've gotta learn how to finish, and if you can learn how to finish, that's just a mindset. Just going out there knowing that when you go into the fourth quarter, that's where you're going to win the game. If they can develop that and that becomes ingrained in who you are as a team and as a player, they're going to be pretty good. I think they're underrated, and I think they have a chance to make a run. I really do. Now they just have to go out and prove that. Question: What do you need to see out of Lincoln Riley in Year 4? Leinart: Look, and I'm close with Lincoln. He knows what he needs to do. He knows what the team needs to do. He understands the frustrations that even someone like myself has as an alumni and a proud Trojan and someone who covers college football. But at the end of the day, he can't worry about all that. I think with Lincoln, there's always been a question: Are his teams tough enough? Are his teams physical enough? And I think that's something they've really come out and attacked on both sides of the ball and with some of the coaching hires that he's made. You don't get a lot of time these days to build something. Look at Jim Harbaugh. It took him until Year 7 to win a national championship. There were a couple years where, gosh, we would talk on Big Noon like, 'Should Jim Harbaugh be fired?' And look what happened. Patience is hard to come by. That's what I tell my kids all the time. But this is kind of the year, where he's got to flip that script and that narrative. Question: Who's someone flying under the radar on this team that you expect to take a big step forward this season? Leinart: Gosh. The receivers? Makai Lemon is one of my favorite players. I know he's not technically under-the-radar. But like this is a breakout year for him, I think. Jayden is under the radar. I think he's going to be fantastic. Year 2, and he showed a lot last year. And this might be a different Lincoln Riley offense, where they run the ball more and they're more physical as he gets better. On defense, I love Anthony Lucas. I hope he steps up. And Jahkeem Stewart, the big-time freshman, I've heard like, 'He's so young, but he's going to be a monster.' Then there's the couple guys we got from the SEC in the portal on the D-line. I'm excited. —Lincoln Riley called on the NCAA to 'do the right thing' with DJ Wingfield. But his case is with the courts now. Riley had refrained from saying much about the circumstances surrounding Wingfield, who's now suing the NCAA in hopes of an injunction that would allow him to play this season. But asked about it on Friday, Riley made his frustration with the NCAA quite clear. 'It isn't right,' he said. 'I haven't seen anything like it in all my years of coaching.' He was frank about the fact that Wingfield is 'not doing very good.' He's not the only one across the country caught in a similar limbo as the NCAA tries to put its foot down on enforcing its Five-Year Rule for eligibility. To me, it feels pretty callous of the NCAA to loosen the reins after the Diego Pavia case, only to tighten them once again after the House settlement. I understand Riley's angst with the NCAA. But the reality is the case is now with the courts. A hearing is set for Friday, and no one I've spoken with seems to have a good feel for what the judge might rule. If the judge grants Wingfield a temporary restraining order, he'd be ready to start practicing by the time our next newsletter drops. —Notre Dame is willing to play the USC game early in the season. So now what? In a sitdown with reporters, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua opened the door for at least one concession to USC in negotiations over the rivalry series. USC, at the moment, is still holding strong with the rest of the Big Ten on pushing for four automatic qualifiers to the College Football Playoff. But if that plan goes nowhere, which at this point seems likely, then I don't see why USC and Notre Dame wouldn't be able to iron something out to keep the series alive. —Offensive line reinforcements are on the way in USC's 2026 class. The rich got richer on the recruiting trail last week as USC nabbed the commitment of Breck Kolojay, a fast-rising interior line prospect from IMG Academy. That gives the Trojans seven (!!) commits on the offensive line, which would be the largest line class in recent memory at USC. That group is headlined by the nation's top offensive tackle prospect, Keenyi Pepe, who just happens to be Kolojay's teammate at IMG. USC already added four freshman linemen to the mix in 2025, giving the program a pretty solid foundation up front for the foreseeable future. Tobias Raymond is now a key cog — and de facto grillmaster — on uncertain USC offensive line USC trusts new strength coach Trumain Carroll to help Trojans open and finish strong Offensive lineman DJ Wingfield files lawsuit against NCAA in bid to play for USC I'm a little late to the party, but 'The Diplomat' on Netflix has been a pleasant surprise during a slow TV summer. The main draw for me was Keri Russell, who is at her best when playing a character as prickly as possible — i.e. her phenomenal work on 'The Americans.' This role, as U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler, definitely fits that bill. The back-and-forth between her and her husband, played by Rufus Sewell, is worth the price of admission alone. But it's the unexpected twists and turns of the story that will keep you hooked. After burning through one season in a few days, my wife and I have already dug into Season 2. That concludes today's newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see, email me at and follow me on Twitter at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Legendary Giants shortstop heads to Astros
For one beautiful week in December 2022, Carlos Correa was a member of the San Francisco Giants, and he was going to be in San Francisco for the next 13 years. Then the Giants postponed his introductory news conference because of a bad physical, or cold feet, and the Carlos Correa SF Era was over. Now, the Carlos Correa Minnesota Era is over, 10 1⁄3 seasons before Correa's Giants contract would have ended. The Minnesota Twins traded Correa back to the Astros for pitching prospect Matt Mikulski, and will pay the Astros $33M to take on the remainder of the six-year, $200M deal he eventually signed before the 2023 season — about $103.4M. That's seven fewer years and $150M less than Correa's original agreement with the Giants. It's six fewer years and $115M less than Correa's deal with the New York Mets, which also got cancelled after a physical exam. So, in hindsight, pretty good call by the Giants in backing out of the deal, though their pivot to a free agent class of Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger, Luke Jackson, Sean Manaea, and Ross Stripling was less than inspiring. The Twins were motivated to get out of the contract primarily because the Pohlad family put the team up for sale nine months ago and still hasn't found a buyer, so they're cutting payroll as much as possible. Correa was pretty mediocre in 2023 with the Twins, rebounded to an awesome .310/.388/.517 slash line in 2024 but only played 86 games, then struggled to .267/.319/.386 in 2025. He'll play third base for the Astros, alongside his successor at short, Jeremy Peña. Instead of 10 1/3 more years of Carlos Correa for about $278M, the Giants have 6 2⁄3 more years of Willy Adames for roughly $173.3M. The math works. In a week where so many longtime Giants changed teams, it's important to acknowledge a player who may have only been a Giant for one unofficial week, but whose X-rays will live in our hearts forever. Godspeed, Carlos. More from The 2018 Giants aren't the 2013 Phillies. Stop it.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
India draws test series against England after winning at the Oval by six runs
LONDON (AP) — India draws test series against England after winning at the Oval by six runs.
