Minnesota Twins light their roster on fire, trade 10 players in 24 hours before the deadline

The Minnesota Twins just pulled off one of the most aggressive fire sales we have ever witnessed in modern baseball and somehow, it still feels incomplete.

In 24 hours leading up the MLB trade deadline, the Twins basically traded away half of their active roster, shipping out 10 players from their 26-man squad like it was a Black Friday clearance event at Target.

The headliner yesterday was Carlos Correa being sent back to the Houston Astros in a massive deal that might’ve broken the emotional circuits of at least three AL Central fans. That move alone would’ve been enough to cause a stir, but this was just the start of Minnesota’s liquidation.

One day earlier, they dealt All-Star closer Jhoan Duran to the Phillies, giving Dave Dombrowski a triple-digit flamethrower and officially launching panic in the Twin Cities.

Phillies finalize trade for Jhoan Duran in exchange for 2 top prospects

Then came the full Twins exodus:

#MNTwins trade tally:

Carlos Correa
Jhoan Duran
Griffin Jax
Louis Varland
Brock Stewart
Willi Castro
Harrison Bader
Chris Paddack
Danny Coulombe
Ty France

They traded 40% of the roster, including the five best relievers and five players with 2+ years of team control remaining.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 31, 2025

• Harrison Bader → Phillies
• Danny Coulombe → Rangers
• Willi Castro → Cubs
• Brock Stewart → Dodgers
• Griffin Jax → Rays
• Louis Varland & Ty France → Blue Jays
• Chris Paddack → Tigers (earlier in the week)

If you’re wondering why this happened, look no further than the bank statements.

That’s not a rebuild. That’s a team choosing self-immolation.

According to Bob Nightengale, the Twins are over $400 million in debt, and have been up for sale since last October.

The Minnesota Twins, who are about $440 million in debt, erased a huge chunk of it by trading away virtually their roster in a matter of 12 hours.
No wonder Carlos Correa wanted out.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 31, 2025

Turns out, running a baseball team deep in the woods with cable deals collapsing isn’t exactly a thriving business model in 2025.

It gets better. Many of the players traded were under team control beyond 2025. This wasn’t just a dump of expiring contracts. This was a strip-it-down-to-the-studs, rip-the-copper-piping-out kind of teardown.

They didn’t even finish the job. There were still tradeable assets left untouched (Byron Buxton), which is maybe the wildest part. This fire sale could’ve been even uglier.

So now, the Twins sit at 51-57, waving goodbye to what little hope they had of a playoff push, and staring down a bleak future.

Here in Philly, there’s no doubt that we got the better end of it.

Philly got the better end of it, no doubt.

The Phillies have all the talent to win a World Series. Just have to show up down the stretch and carry that momentum into October. Baseball has always been about getting hot at the right time. It is what it is.

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) August 1, 2025

Minnesota just held the most dramatic garage sale in baseball history and it will take years to recover from it.

Phillies bullpen is set for a complete overhaul and all things considered, it should be absolute filth come October

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