Red Sox, Joe Ryan Trade Deadline Rumors Were Overblown

Ryan finished the season with the Twins and since then it seems like there have been rumors connecting him to Boston all over the place. Around the trade deadline, reports surfaced about Boston's potential offer for Ryan. It seemed like the two sides potentially got close, but ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel weighed in on Ryan as a trade candidate on Tuesday and noted that the Twins "never came close to finalizing a deal" involving the hurler ahead of the trade deadline with any team.

"Joe Ryan, RHP, Minnesota Twins," McDaniel and Passan wrote. "The buzz: For all the rumors about Ryan at the trade deadline, the Twins never came close to finalizing a deal. If the cost remains high for free agent pitching, teams could turn to trades to fill their rotation holes, at which point Minnesota again would be a match for just about anyone. Having three of the eight best trade candidates is a good place to start a rebuild.

"The scouting report: Ryan has an elite fastball, not because of his fringe-average velocity or ordinary movement, but because of his very low release height (big extension + low arm slot = flat plane and thus whiffs) and plus control. Take that key fastball/control combination and add durability (between 135 to 171 innings each of the past four seasons) along with five other solid pitches to keep hitters honest, and you have a solid No. 2 or No. 3 starter. He's still in his 20s and has two years left of team control, so the asking price will be high. Predicted chance of getting traded: 50 percent. Team fits: Red Sox, Mets, Orioles, Rangers, Giants, Astros."

MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo called it a "shocking development."

"Just a shocking development in the Joe Ryan blurb over at ESPN by Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel today: 'For all the rumors about Ryan at the trade deadline, the Twins never came close to finalizing a deal.'"

Ryan is a talented player, but there's an argument that the Red Sox landed a pitcher of equal value at a significantly lower cost trade-wise this offseason already in Sonny Gray. A good chunk of the fanbase has been vocal about Ryan this offseason, but the focus should be on adding a big bat now after adding Gray.