Joe Ryan's Top 3 Landing Spots: Where His Fantasy Baseball Ranking Rises and Falls

If Joe Ryan is traded by the August 3 deadline, these teams may be among the recipients.

Jul 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) looks on after completing the fourth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Joe Ryan is in flux approaching the August 3 trade deadline. The man has little ideas about where he will finish this season. The Twins may keep their ace but, more likely, they will trade him. The Twins' ace has no clearcut landing spot clear-cut favorite at the moment, but some are taking shape with credible reporting. These are roughly his top-3 landing spots.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have repeatedly been rumored as "in the market" for pitching. The team ranks 26th in starting pitching WAR, per Fangraphs. Meanwhile, they are 3rd in wRC+. The team can win a World Series if they piece out the gaps in their roster.

The key factors in a pitcher reaching his upside are run support, bullpen quality, and ballpark factor. Let's compare the Twins to the Cubs:

	Twins	Cubs
Team wRC+	110	103
Team Bullpen WAR	+0.5	-0.5
Home Park Factor	103 (Hitters Park)	94 (Pitcher Park)

The above shows a lateral move for Ryan. He will experience a different supporting cast, which provides worse hitting and a slightly worse bullpen, but a much more favorable ballpark. Ryan ultimately remains in his fantasy baseball ranking as P27.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers are kept in the Tarik Skubal race. Per Kalshi, the team is 2nd in probability to acquire Skubal. At a probability that is still below 20%, it paints a picture. That picture shows the Brewers wanting another ace, but Skubal is unlikely; it's unlikely that guy. Instead, it may be Ryan, who is labeled a "dream match" by ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Let's compare the Twins to the Brewers in our 3 key factors:

	Twins	Brewers
Team wRC+	110	105
Team Bullpen WAR	+0.5	+4.5
Home Park Factor	103 (Hitters Park)	97 (Pitchers Park)

Milwaukee is a much more favorable landing spot for Ryan than either going to Chicago or staying in Minnesota. The Brewers are only slightly worse in the hitting department via wRC+. The team is elite in its bullpen, and much better than the Twins. They also offer a pitcher-friendly ballpark.

Ryan could rise to become a fringe top-15 starting pitcher, especially with a team full of playoff energy down the stretch.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox had nearly traded for Ryan at the 2025 deadline. A year later, their hopes may not be lost. The team is firmly in the AL Wild Card, currently slated to face the Yankees if the season ended this weekend. An ace like Ryan might put the team over the top and among the AL's World Series contenders, as the race is wide open at the moment.

Let's compare the Twins to the Red Sox:

	Twins	Red Sox
Team wRC+	110	95
Team Bullpen WAR	+0.5	+5.0
Home Park Factor	103 (Hitters Park)	102 (Hitters Park)

The situation offsets itself for Ryan in Boston. The team is far worse than the Twins offensively. They are far better in their bullpen. They then meet in the middle with dual-hitter parks. However, the park factors only suggest roughly a 2-3% scoring increase in those stadiums as compared to the MLB average.

Ryan would be a fun addition to the Red Sox. As for fantasy baseball owners, they see no rhyme or reason to the escapade. Ryan may get more momentum in a rambunctious Fenway Park. That is about all he gets.