Griffin Jax. Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Twins gut nearly half of their MLB roster before trade deadline

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 7:09 PM ET

The Minnesota Twins sold off nearly half of their roster in a span of 24 hours prior to the MLB trade deadline in a shocking series of moves.

The Twins were easily the biggest sellers of the deadline. In a span of roughly 24 hours, Minnesota traded nine players from their 26-man roster, including several stars. Most of the players they moved even had team control remaining beyond the 2025 season.

#MNTwins trade tally:

Carlos Correa
Jhoan Duran
Griffin Jax
Louis Varland
Brock Stewart
Willi Castro
Harrison Bader
Chris Paddack
Danny Coulombe
Ty France

They traded 40% of the roster, including the five best relievers and five players with 2+ years of team control remaining.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 31, 2025

The biggest name the Twins moved was shortstop Carlos Correa, who returned to the Houston Astros in a huge deal. One day earlier, they moved All-Star closer Jhoan Duran in a major deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Twins were nowhere near finished. On Thursday, they shipped Harrison Bader to Philadelphia, Danny Coulombe to Texas, Willi Castro to the Cubs, Brock Stewart to the Dodgers, Griffin Jax to Tampa Bay and Louis Varland and Ty France to Toronto. They also traded pitcher Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers earlier in the week.

Most of the Twins’ motivations appear to be financial. Bob Nightengale of USA Today stated that the organization is about $440M in debt.

The Minnesota Twins, who are about $440 million in debt, erased a huge chunk of it by trading away virtually their roster in a matter of 12 hours.
No wonder Carlos Correa wanted out.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2025

The Twins have been up for sale since last October, but little progress has been made on any sale. A big part of that reason is believed to be the team’s troubling financial situation, which has turned off some potential buyers.

As of Thursday, the Twins were 51-57, and were not likely to make the playoffs this season. This fire sale will make it much harder for them to make the postseason next year, but might make them more appealing to potential buyers.

Perhaps the most amazing part is the Twins actually held on to some pieces they could have traded. This clearance could have been even worse.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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