You only need to follow a couple of Red Sox fans on social media to see that many of them desperately want their favorite team to trade for Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan. I mean, why wouldn’t they? Ryan, when at his best, is among the league’s best starting pitchers; in 115 career appearances, he has a 3.79 ERA with 719 strikeouts and 148 walks across 641 1/3 innings.
With that desperation, paired with the boredom that sometimes comes with the MLB offseason, Boston fans have been looking for every sign that their team may acquire Ryan, even after the Red Sox traded for starting pitcher Sonny Gray last week.
The letters in “I am thankful for gravy” can spell Frank Viola.
Frank Viola played for the Boston Red Sox.
Where did he begin his career? In Minnesota with the Twins. Sound familiar?
Welcome to Boston Joe Ryan. https://t.co/k3r6iRujXf pic.twitter.com/9RrixUldXI
— Shawn (@PalmerDesigns_) November 28, 2025
It’s obvious that Shawn is joking in this tweet. The main takeaway from the post is just that Red Sox fans REALLY want Joe Ryan on their favorite team.
Same age as Joe 👀
— Shawn (@PalmerDesigns_) November 28, 2025
Could Red Sox still acquire Joe Ryan after Sonny Gray deal with Cardinals?
When Boston acquired Gray from St. Louis, it appeared that the former Twins ace would be the Red Sox’s No. 2 starter behind 2025 Cy Young Award runner-up Garrett Crochet.
However, Boston could still attempt to acquire Ryan, even if it means losing an established outfielder like Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu or Ceddanne Rafaela. If the Red Sox really want to win a World Series within the two seasons, acquiring Ryan for a package led by an MLB outfielder and signing two or more position players could give them the roster they need to return to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2018.
From the Twins’ perspective, trading Ryan would likely be a huge mistake.
Having a healthy Ryan and Pablo López leading the starting rotation feels necessary if Minnesota wants to return to the postseason. But, given the Twins’ abundance of starting pitching depth (Ryan, López, Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews, David Festa, Simeon Woods Richardson, Mick Abel, Taj Bradley, Kendry Rojas and more), president of baseball operations Derek Falvey may be tempted to move Ryan if it leads to adding an established major league outfielder plus two or more promising prospects.
The Twins also have to keep in mind that Byron Buxton could request a trade if the team deals Ryan, which would outrage fans.
