A day after 8 players were traded, Joe Ryan and Twins take stock: ‘It's just sobering'

New York Times

a day ago

CLEVELAND — He briefly thought he'd been traded, discovered it wasn't the case, and then watched in bewilderment as many of his Minnesota Twins teammates, some seated beside him, were shockingly dealt on one of the most excruciating days in team history.
Joe Ryan relayed a trade deadline experience similar to ones told by many of his teammates who woke up Friday still playing for the Twins the day after the club shipped out eight key players in a blitz before Thursday's trade deadline.
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Though the remaining Twins knew to expect trades involving impending free agents, multiple players said they were waylaid when the series of deals included team-controlled relievers Griffin Jax, Louis Varland and Brock Stewart as well as star shortstop Carlos Correa.
In all, the Twins traded 10 players off their major-league roster between Monday and Thursday, a frenzy that also included closer Jhoan Duran going to Philadelphia.
In the aftermath, players took stock Friday as they returned to action for the first time in nearly 48 hours. Shortly after delivering another good pitching performance in a 3-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in 10 innings, Ryan admitted thinking he wouldn't even be in a Twins uniform after an erroneous report temporarily left him thinking he'd been traded to the Boston Red Sox.
'I obviously thought I got traded for several minutes,' Ryan said after allowing two earned runs in six innings at Progressive Field. 'Then I was like, 'Is this going to happen? What's the deal?' That was a weird mix of emotions. I was with Griffin during that. It was just weird. Then he didn't think he was going to get traded and he got traded and I didn't. … It's been a whirlwind.'
Some in the visiting clubhouse recounted how they spent their wild day, noting multiple groups of players watched the events unfold together at the team hotel. Others, many fresh faces having just arrived to replace those who'd been traded, started the process of acclimating to a new clubhouse full of unfamiliar teammates. And then there were a few who admitted they're still trying to process what happened as the Twins' front office embarked on one of the busiest days at the trade deadline in baseball history.
'It's got to be historic, right?' said third baseman Royce Lewis, who spent Thursday at home before flying later that night. 'Pretty unique situation.'
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The scene was so surreal that Twins president Derek Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll flew to Cleveland on Friday morning to answer any players' questions. Manager Rocco Baldelli addressed the entire team and spoke with some individuals to discuss the opportunity the series of deals presented. The Twins also brought along outfielder Byron Buxton, who's on the trip even though he's on the injured list, believing the veteran's presence would be helpful.
'Having that leader definitely helps,' outfielder Matt Wallner said. 'It was the most interesting day of my big-league career for sure. … Saying goodbye sucks.'
Wallner was with Trevor Larnach, Cole Sands, Justin Topa and Bailey Ober Thursday. Gripped by a need for instant information, Wallner re-activated a social media account he hadn't used for two years to keep up with trade speculation. He's since deactivated it. He noted the trades of Varland, which players learned of 10 minutes before the 5 p.m. CT deadline, and Jax, which arrived six minutes later, were the biggest shockers.
The series of moves creates an opportunity for Sands and Topa to pitch in high-leverage innings. Before Friday's game, Baldelli spoke to both relievers to discuss their new roles.
'Ever since I've been in the big leagues we've had Griff and Duran in the back of the bullpen,' Sands said. 'Knowing that there's responsibility for others now, including myself, to go out there and shut the door and go get those (outs), it's a little different. We're going to have to go embrace that opportunity.''
Experiencing a day unlike any other he's seen in a professional career that began in 2000, Baldelli knew he needed to gather his players and see how they felt. He also wanted to deliver a message about the opportunity being afforded to some. Equally affected, Baldelli was excited to get back to work after a taxing week.
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'Sometimes the best thing to get away from something is to go play,' Baldelli said. 'It actually helps you relax. … No one's done processing all parts of what went on. That might take some time to happen, but we have to get back to work.'
For rookie Alan Roden, Friday was his first day at a new workplace. The Wisconsin-born left fielder was acquired with minor-league pitcher Kendry Rojas in a deal that sent Varland to the Toronto Blue Jays. Though the 25-year-old spent Thursday preparing for a Triple-A game in Buffalo, Roden wasn't stunned to learned he'd been traded.
One of eight players added to the Twins' roster on Friday, Roden tried to meet new teammates before he started and batted second, finishing 0-for-5.
'You always know (being traded is) a possibility at that time of year, especially when you're a prospect on a team that's trying to compete,' Roden said. 'It was a pretty normal day until it wasn't.'
Now in his 11th season in the majors, catcher Christian Vázquez couldn't recall experiencing a day like Thursday before. He also grappled with being an anomaly on the Twins' roster, the only impending free agent of the team's six to not be traded.
'It's the first time I've seen this in my career,' Vázquez said. 'It's hard. But it's a business. Maybe God wanted me here for a reason. Yeah, I'm still here.'
Four days removed from the birth of his son, Ryan Jeffers also spent Thursday at home before catching a late-night flight to rejoin the club. He'd spent part of the day at the aquarium and riding a carousel with his 2-year-old daughter.
For a minute, Jeffers also thought he'd been traded. But as he stood by his stall in the Twins' clubhouse Friday, Jeffers opined why his team underwent such a drastic facelift.
'We've shown glimpses of greatness and glimpses of one of the worst teams in baseball,' Jeffers said. 'Maybe a reset was needed. Maybe this is the harsh reality of what was needed for this club. It's a hard pill to swallow for players, fans and everyone associated with the organization.'
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Thursday's deadline outcome was particularly strange for Ryan to consider. After spending part of the day listening to Grateful Dead tracks and trying to distract himself, Ryan joined Correa, Jax and Varland on Thursday.
Ryan and several others noted Varland was emotional after learning he'd been traded away by his hometown club. Multiple players wondered aloud Friday why the team traded away Varland, Jax, Duran and Stewart, players who were several seasons away from reaching free agency.
Only 15 minutes before Varland was traded, Ryan thought he'd been sent to Boston. Within seconds, the report of the trade was removed from social media, but Ryan still thought it could happen.
'It felt like I was throwing an intense situation in a game,' Ryan said. 'We were with Carlos, too. We were sitting in there and it felt like a f—ing horserace. … There's some guys that I'm confused by why they got moved. I'm happy, I hope their opportunities work out for them and I hope they have great careers. But it is weird when your friends that you've been with for so long are just gone the next day. … It's just sobering.'
(Photo of Ryan: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)