Could the Brewers meet rumored trade price for Twins' ace this offseason?

With free agency and the trade market now officially open, the speculation around starting pitchers that has been heating up for weeks can now officially come to fruition. Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal headlines the list of potential trade targets, but Milwaukee Brewers' Freddy Peralta is arguably the best value on the trade market this offseason.

After those names, Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins has seen his trade market heat up once again. When Minnesota moved a total of ten players at last year’s trade deadline, including Carlos Correa, Jhoan Duran, Harrison Bader, Willi Castro, and Ty France, Ryan's name also surfaced in discussions, but the Twins ultimately decided to hold onto him, at least at that moment.

Now, with their focus again shifted toward acquiring future assets and cutting payroll, the Twins should view Ryan as expendable. The 29-year-old right-hander has just two years of team control remaining, and MLB Trade Rumors projects him to earn around $5.8 million in arbitration this year.

Could the Milwaukee Brewers meet rumored trade price for Minnesota Twins' ace Joe Ryan this offseason?

According to Dan Hayes, Twins writer at The Athletic, Minnesota may be seeking two top-50 prospects for Ryan, one with a mid-ceiling and one more of a lottery ticket. For a pitcher who has made between 23-30 starts each year since 2022, and with a career 3.79 ERA, that price seems like a bargain.

For example, given the current context, a package centered around Cooper Pratt, the Brewers’ No. 3 prospect, and Tyler Black could conceivably get talks started. However, with multiple teams expected to check in on Ryan, Milwaukee might need to sweeten the offer by including an additional piece, perhaps an MLB-ready arm such as Carlos Rodriguez or Craig Yoho, to realistically get a deal done.

In the end, it’s likely that Minnesota’s rumored asking price for Ryan is even higher than what’s been reported. Young, controllable starting pitching rarely comes cheap, especially for a team looking to retool rather than rebuild. Still, the Brewers have the prospect depth and MLB-ready talent to put together a competitive offer if they decide Ryan is the right fit.