CLEVELAND (AP) — Every time Byron Buxton picked up his phone Thursday afternoon, there was a text message or news ping that one of his Minnesota Twins teammates was being traded.
Two days later, Buxton was still trying to take in all the moves the Twins made as the front office made nine trades and turned over nearly 40% of the roster.
Even though the All-Star center fielder is on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation, Buxton joined the Twins in Cleveland for this weekend’s series as the franchise’s clubhouse leader wanted to be there to provide support and be a sounding board for teammates.
“I mean, trading nine guys like that is something that’s not normal, so it was a little bit of a shock for sure,” Buxton said before Saturday’s game. “Right now, obviously, I haven’t processed it. I don’t know who has processed it, but something we’ll talk about a little bit more at the end of the season.”
Manager Rocco Baldelli said that having Buxton on the trip was important, not only for the support that he can give, but also because he remains on track to rejoin the lineup on Wednesday when the Twins are at Detroit.
“Keeping him with our trainers here and being able to get on the field here with the group when he’s ready was important, but also the support that he’s going to be giving the guys around him. Everybody looks to him, everyone looks to see how he’ll respond to things, and he’s a passionate guy. He cares about his teammates and his team and guys respect him immensely.”
Buxton said he understands that baseball is a business and he anticipated moves were going to be made near the deadline. However, the amount of turnover was surprising.
The Twins’ most-significant move near the deadline was when shortstop Carlos Correa was dealt to Houston. Correa broke into the majors with the Astros and still has a house in Houston as he waived his no-trade clause.
“It’s one of those things where you didn’t think he was going to leave but with the opportunity that was ahead of him and just him being an Astro before, it’s hard to pass that up in his situation. I couldn’t be happier for him and his family. It is what’s best for him,” Buxton said about Correa.
While there are a lot of unknowns about the Twins as the team remains for sale, Buxton is trying to focus on the present. That includes making sure the new faces on the team can get acclimated quickly as well as trying to make sure the season doesn’t spiral too much out of control.
Minnesota won the AL Central in 2023, but missed the playoffs with an 82-80 mark last season. The Twins (51-59) are eight games under .500 and on a four-game losing streak after Saturday’s 5-4 loss to the Guardians.
“These guys coming up, I don’t want them to look at this as ‘I finally got a shot.’ You came up here because you want to win and you want to be better. So it’s just playing together and having each other’s backs is going to be the biggest thing going forward,” he said.
