How should the Twins handle Byron Buxton, their slumping $100M man?
MINNEAPOLIS -- Byron Buxton was an All-Star a year ago, and the year before that he signed a seven-year, $100 million extension as the Minnesota Twins' star center fielder.
So what happened?
Injuries caused Buxton to move to designated hitter this season, where he has been... less than impressive, let's say. On the season, Buxton is hitting .196 with 15 home runs. His batting average is second-worst among qualifying players on the team.
He hasn't had a hit since July 8, and he's 6-for-45 at the plate in the month of July. He's missed 18 games this season and his WAR (wins above replacement, which measures how much better a player is than a league-average replacement) of 0.4 is the second-lowest of his career.
Meanwhile, he has the second-highest salary on the team. The Twins signed Buxton to a megadeal in 2021 with dreams of making him their star player and a face of the franchise.
It's worth repeating loudly and often that this apparent slump isn't necessarily Buxton's fault -- he's been riddled by injuries throughout his career, and by and large injuries are out of a player's hands. And the Twins definitely knew this was a possibility when they gave him his deal -- it's laden with incentives like MVP and plate appearance bonuses.
But the question now becomes what the Twins should do with Buxton. He has a no-trade clause in his contract through 2026, and given his recent play and injury history, it's hard to imagine the Twins would get much for him anyway. Buxton did have a brief resurgence in June after a stint on the injured list. He went 5-for-11 with three homers over a three-game stretch. Would a longer stint away -- perhaps even shutting him down for the season -- help get things back on track?
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli admitted himself in June that Buxton "physically ... cannot play in the field." If his injuries are so onerous they're keeping him out of his destined position, maybe he shouldn't be playing at all rather than being forced into the lineup -- especially when he's not contributing much at the DH spot.
The Twins are in an awkward position, because they're leading the AL Central as of Tuesday. So it's not like this is a wasted season -- though, given their overall play, it's hard to see them making much noise in the postseason. To give up on your supposed star player halfway through a division-leading season is not great optics. But they have to think of the future here, too. If Buxton's just in a funk -- caused by injury, bad luck or some other boggart -- shutting him down long-term and letting him fully recover might be the best thing, for him and the team.