There was some hope that the Atlanta Braves might have a chance at trading for Twins outfielder Byron Buxton recently. Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel reported that Buxton was willing to waive his no-trade clause. The Georgia native would have been a great fit for the Braves.
A potential trade hinges mostly on Minnesota's willingness to move some of its top players. Recent reporting from The Athletic suggests that Atlanta may be out of luck if Buxton was part of their offseason game plan.
Ken Rosenthal reported on Friday that the Twins "do not anticipate moving center fielder Byron Buxton". This was according to league sources who were briefed on the Twins' offseason plans. Minnesota also is not planning on moving starters Joe Ryan and Pablo López.
Twins all but close the door on trading Byron Buxton which is less than ideal news for the Braves
So, it seems like the Twins want to keep some of their top talent to build around. They would only do this if they have plans to compete in 2026. They'll have a good bit of bullpen rebuilding to do as they traded away most of their relievers during the 2025 trade deadline. Rosenthal also pointed out that Minnesota may also need to find a first baseman.
The Twins have some debt to pay off, so offloading some of their larger contracts wouldn't be a bad idea. Rosenthal reported, "The Pohlad family ownership announced the addition of two minority ownership groups in August, part of its motivation was to infuse cash to help pay down the team’s $425 million in debt." Moving those three players would create approximately $94 million of salary space for Minnesota.
However, on the flip side, not being able to field a competitive team is also bad for business. They probably don't want to upset the fan base by trading their top stars. It seems the organization believes that they have a chance to be competitive again.
This doesn't mean the Braves won't still check in to see if they can work out a deal. Buxton would help them add a power bat to the lineup if Marcell Ozuna lands elsewhere. That would allow the team to move Profar into a DH role and let Buxton roam the outfield.
He would make Atlanta's outfield arguably the best defensive outfield in baseball. It doesn't seem like that dream is going to happen.