Twins Slugger Unsurprisingly Seen as Phillies' Dream Trade Target

Jul 4, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Minnesota Twins players wear commemorative hats as seen before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Twins Slugger Unsurprisingly Seen as Phillies' Dream Trade Target

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Jun 28, 2026 10:00 AM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

As the Philadelphia Phillies continue to surge in the standings, the team has to be thrilled with what has been a special turnaround.

To start the season, the Phillies were one of the worst teams in baseball. This was a group that was 10 games under the .500 mark and also had the worst run differential in the league.

With the firing of Rob Thomson and the return of Zack Wheeler, the team has been on a run ever since. Now, Philadelphia certainly has their eyes set on trying to chase down the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

While that goal might have felt unobtainable not too long ago, it is very realistic with how they have played. However, while the Phillies have played well, they aren’t perfect. This is a team with a couple of notable holes on the roster, and as the trade deadline approaches, improvements will have to be made if they are going to win it all. One issue that has plagued them for much of the season has been offensive production in the outfield. Fortunately, there should be options for them to address it.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the biggest need for the Phillies being help in their outfield and that Minnesota Twins slugger Byron Buxton would be a dream addition.

Buxton Would Be Massive Addition

Even though this is a lineup that has a lot of talented players, Philadelphia’s offense has been inconsistent this year. The trio of Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, and Kyle Schwarber has been excellent, but there have been some really bad stretches from key sluggers like Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, and Alec Bohm.

Furthermore, even before Adolis Garcia was ruled out for the rest of the season, offensive production from two of the outfield spots was lacking. If the Phillies are going to make an impactful move, it feels like the outfield would be the place to do so.

When looking at potential options, Buxton has been a name mentioned for the last couple of years with the struggles of the Twins, and while it seems like the American League is still wide open in the wild card race, Minnesota making the playoffs would be a shocker.

However, while he might be the dream trade target, he does have a full no-trade clause and can shut down any deal. If Buxton doesn’t want to be dealt, this is all a moot point, but he would undoubtedly be an amazing fit for the Phillies.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: