Expect to hear trade speculation linking the New York Yankees to this one player during the 2026 MLB season.
Spring Training is now upon us, meaning that the New York Yankees are likely heading into the 2026 MLB campaign as currently constructed.
Sure, there might be a couple of minor tweaks here and there, but for the most part, the team you are seeing now is the team that will start Opening Day.
Of course, that does not mean the Yankees' roster now will be identical to the one that hopefully reaches the playoffs next October.
New York is always active in midseason trade discussions. Two years ago, the Yankees landed Jazz Chisholm at the deadline. Last summer, Brian Cashman made a flurry of moves that included adding Ryan McMahon and several relief pitchers.
Chances are, New York will be linked to at least one star player between now and Aug. 3, and perhaps the most obvious name is Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan.
Sure, Ryan said this week that he is happy in Minnesota ... for now. But is he still going to be satisfied when the Twins are out contention by June? Or if they trade more players around him?
Ryan was floated as a potential option for the Yanks this offseason, but with two more years of club control remaining, Minnesota was in no rush to move him. The asking price was also surely exorbitant.
But if the Twins are out of the playoff race by the middle of the season (and you already know they will be), Ryan will become a very intriguing name to monitor.
Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.The 29-year-old logged a 3.42 ERA while allowing 138 hits and racking up 194 strikeouts over 171 innings of work last season, earning his first All-Star appearance.
Yes, Ryan is a little older than you would like for a pitcher who isn't hitting free agency until 2028, and his lifetime 3.79 ERA and 3.82 FIP, while still solid, may give the Yankees some pause about his frontline makeup, but he would represent a fantastic get for a New York squad that needs a World Series as soon as possible.
The Yankees' farm system is teeming with pitching talent that would surely interest Minnesota, and while George Lombard Jr. and Dax Kilby are probably off limits, they also have some intriguing young bats within their organization, as well.
What's more, Ryan is making just $6.1 million this coming season and has a $13 million mutual option for 2027, so he is incredibly affordable for a Yankees organization that has been monitoring its payroll with a fine-toothed comb.
New York's starting rotation currently appears set. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are both due to return within the first couple of months of 2026, and Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers round out the rest of what is a very deep pitching staff.
But don't think for a second the Yankees wouldn't jump at the opportunity to add Ryan if he became available.
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