On August 1, 2025, right-hander Joe Ryan walked into the visitors’ clubhouse in Cleveland trying to act like it was just another day. But it wasn’t. Just 20 hours earlier, his chances of even pitching for the Minnesota Twins had blown up, after ten of his teammates were shipped out in one of the wildest midseason roster teardowns anyone had seen.
The Collapse That Started It All
This absolute madness wasn’t some sudden decision. The tide started turning when the Twins dropped a series at home to the Washington Nationals, a team with the second-worst record in MLB. That was it. The very next day, starter Chris Paddack got traded to the Detroit Tigers. Then, things got really ugly. On a Wednesday matinee, they lost 13-1 to the Boston Red Sox, pushing their record to 51-57. They were 5.5 games out of the wild-card mix, had five teams ahead of them, and FanGraphs said their playoff odds were under 5%. Just hours after that brutal loss, star closer Jhoan Duran was shipped to Philadelphia, a clear signal that more deals were coming.
Deadline Day: Pure Mayhem
The team traveled to Cleveland, and it became a scene straight out of a movie. Small groups of Twins players huddled in hotel rooms, waiting for their fates. Early that Thursday afternoon, Harrison Bader was reported headed to Philadelphia to join Duran. Another reliever, Brock Stewart, was off to the Dodgers. But the real bombshell? Around 4 p.m., shortstop Carlos Correa waived his no-trade clause and went back to the Houston Astros. At that point, Pablo Lopez, rehabbing a shoulder injury back home, even wondered if he’d get traded, saying, “Even myself, I was on the IL, and I’m like, am I getting traded, too?” (He wasn’t). But the Twins weren’t done. Lefty Danny Coulombe went to the Rangers, popular utilityman Willi Castro to the Cubs. Reliever Louis Varland and first baseman Ty France were off to Toronto. And then, for a chaotic few minutes before the 6 p.m. ET cutoff, it looked like Joe Ryan himself was out.
Ryan’s Near Miss and the Buzzer Beater
Ryan was at the team hotel, glued to the trade deadline coverage with fellow pitcher Griffin Jax. At 5:32 p.m., MLB Network’s Jon Morosi dropped the news: the Red Sox were making a late push for Ryan. “I’d gotten calls, and they’re like, ‘Have the Red Sox called you yet?’” Ryan remembered, “And I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’” The confusion was insane! A call finally came just before the deadline, but not for Ryan. Instead, the Rays snagged Jax in a last-minute deal. Ryan stayed put. “Then he gets moved, and I don’t,” Ryan said. “It was crazy.” Imagine that, watching your teammate get dealt while you’re still in limbo.
So, Joe Ryan walked into that ballpark in Cleveland the next day, still a Twin, getting ready for his start. That deadline was an absolute whirlwind, a complete shake-up that left everyone guessing, including the guy on the mound. It showed just how wild the game can get, especially when a team decides to hit reset hard. What a ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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