Here's the story reference in the tweet via The Athletic (read it and weep) -
Twins, Byron Buxton can’t reach agreement on contract extension, increasing chance of offseason trade
The Twins and Byron Buxton were unable to find any common ground on their initial offer in recent days.
theathletic.com
Minnesota Twins center fielder
Byron Buxton could not agree on a contract extension, increasing the possibility he will be traded this offseason and perhaps making the team more willing to move right-hander Jose Berríos and other players under team control beyond this season.
The Twins intend to compete in 2022, but Buxton now joins Berríos as players who are likely to become free agents at the end of that season. Buxton is unlikely to be moved before Friday’s trade deadline while he remains on the injured list with a fractured left hand. Berríos, however, would be one of the top starting pitchers available in a thin market. Left-handed reliever
Taylor Rogers, also under team control through ’22, already is likely to be dealt, considering the demand for relievers at this time of year.
The Twins’ initial offer to Buxton was for $73 million over seven years, and included a unique incentive package that would have increased its potential value, sources said. Buxton’s side countered, and the Twins responded by increasing the guarantee to $80 million. But ultimately the parties could not bridge the gap that defined these negotiations — the difference between what Buxton delivers as an oft-injured player, and what he might deliver if fully healthy.
“We have had numerous conversations with the Twins over the years in regards to ‘Buck’ and his future with the organization,” said Buxton’s agent, B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports. “None of these talks change that he is a Twin for the rest of this year and assuming that they tender him a contract in arbitration, then he’ll be a Twin next year.
“What the team decides to do in the interim to change the course of that future is certainly their right. But nothing changes as far as we’re concerned in regard to Buck’s goals going forward, which is to get healthy, to play for the organization, his teammates, the city and the fans.”
Abbott declined comment on specific aspects of the negotiations. The Twins declined to comment.
The trade of designated hitter Nelson Cruz on Thursday was an obvious move for the Twins, who are in last place in the AL Central. Cruz, 41, is signed only through this season and did not necessarily figure into the team’s 2022 plans. But trades of Berríos and Rogers before Friday, followed by one of Buxton this offseason, would signal a deeper restructuring.
Buxton, 27, is one of the game’s most exciting players when healthy. But only once has he appeared in more than 92 games in a season — in 2017, when he played in 140. His latest trip to the injured list is the 11th of his career, and the Twins feared they would be taking too much of a risk if they offered him a package closer to what he perceived to be his market value.
Over the past three seasons, the Twins have always been better with Buxton on the field, going 89-52 when he starts and 92-92 without him. The difference has been especially evident this season: The Twins entered Sunday 12-14 when Buxton starts and 30-43 when he does not.
After missing 39 games with a Grade 2 hip strain, Buxton quickly reinforced his importance to the team in his June 19 return. He beat out an infield single and easily ran down a long fly ball for the game’s final out his first day back, then homered and doubled the following day, contributing to two victories.
“It’s definitely a relief when you have the best center fielder in the league playing behind you,” Cruz said at the time. “He impacted the game in so many different ways. We missed him a lot.”
But Buxton’s injury issues resurfaced in only his third game back when he suffered a broken left pinky finger caused by the Reds’
Tyler Mahle hitting him on the hand with a fastball.
In April 2018, Buxton suffered a hairline fracture in his toe by fouling a pitch off his foot, then later was demoted to Triple A for the rest of the season. That offseason,
he went to work, simplifying his offensive approach and going back to what made him successful enough to be the second pick of the 2012 draft.
Armed with an aggressive mindset while conducting two-a-day workouts to add strength to his upper body, Buxton turned around his career. With Cruz, a veteran free-agent signee, anchoring the lineup, Buxton was one of several young Twins players to enjoy a dynamic breakout in 2019. Displaying an enhanced power-speed combination, Buxton racked up 44 extra-base hits, including 30 doubles, in 295 plate appearances, batting .262/.314/.513. But he was limited by a bruised forearm in June and a concussion in July before suffering a shoulder subluxation on Aug. 1 that effectively ended his season.
The layoff didn’t affect Buxton, who stayed aggressive at the plate and homered 13 times in 130 at-bats in 2020. He took another step forward in ’21, performing at the highest level of his career. After batting .426/.466/.897 with eight doubles and eight homers in 73 March/April plate appearances, he was named American League Player of the Month.
“The run of games that he’s had is almost not believable because this isn’t a video game,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “These aren’t high school stats. He’s playing against the best guys in the world and just dominating and taking over games when he’s been out there.”
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