Predicting Padres-Twins Blockbuster Trade for $6.2 Million Star Ahead of Opening Day

The San Diego Padres will be entering the 2026 season with a ton of questions surrounding the starting rotation.

After losing Dylan Cease in free agency to the Toronto Blue Jays, the frontline depth of this unit took a hit.

San Diego has also lost veteran right-hander Yu Darvish for the year to injury, while Joe Musgrove has suffered a setback in his injury recovery. With all of these issues, it has left the state of the Padres starting group in somewhat of a flux — and it's clearly the biggest weakness on the roster.

The Padres are expected to enter the year with one of the league's worst rotations, but we could also see the team look to make a last-minute deal. San Diego traded for Cease right before Opening Day in 2024, and maybe president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has another trick up his sleeve.

If he were to make a trade, there is one name that could be worth making a move for to bolster the rotation. This would be veteran right-hander Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins, who has been on the trade block since last summer.

Why San Diego Padres Should Trade For Joe Ryan

With the need in the starting rotation, adding a player like Ryan could be just what this team needs. Ryan is coming off the best season of his MLB career, and he would easily slide in as the No. 1 starter for the Padres.

With the Twins a year ago, Ryan pitched in 171 innings, posting an ERA of 3.42 while striking out 194 batters. The right-hander made his first All-Star team and has become one of the more sought-after arms in trade rumors.

Ryan was in the 87th percentile in walk percentage (5.7%) a year ago, while also finishing in the 84th percentile in expected batting average (.209) and strikeout percentage (28.2%). Overall, it was an excellent year for the right-hander, and he could shore up the Padres' rotation problems.

Minnesota underwent a complete fire sale at the trade deadline last year, but Ryan remained on the roster. Some around baseball believed that he could have been moved this offseason, but to this point, the Twins have held off.

However, trading Ryan while his value is high could make a ton of sense for the Twins. Ryan could also regress from his 2025 performance, and this would then see the trade return take a hit.

After multiple big trades in recent years — such as Juan Soto and Mason Miller, among others — San Diego's farm system has taken a hit. But to land someone like Ryan, the team could still try to headline a package with either Ethan Salas or Kruz Schoolcraft (or potentially both).

Schoolcraft is the No. 1 ranked prospect in the Padres system, so San Diego may prefer to keep him around. Salas is the No. 2 ranked guy in the system, and he has seen questions around his ability at the plate in recent seasons.

Both players would get the attention of the Twins, and they could be perfect within the rebuild. Minnesota may ask for both players — and while this would be a lot to give up, adding an All-Star arm to the rotation like Ryan could be worth it.

In all likelihood, the Padres would only part with one of the two players, while placing a few other top prospects into the deal to compensate the Twins. This could get the job done, and San Diego could add another All-Star to fortify the rotation ahead of Opening Day.

Ryan is also under team control next year, giving San Diego two seasons before the right-hander enters free agency. He has a $13 million mutual option next season with a $100,000 buyout.

San Diego has to maximize this window of opportunity while guys like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. are on the roster together. This front office has been extremely opportunistic over the years, and we could easily see them make something happen again.