CLEVELAND -- In the wake of a seismic Trade Deadline sell-off that saw franchise cornerstone Carlos Correa waive his no-trade clause to return to Houston, Byron Buxton made something clear Saturday: he has no intention to follow suit.
Buxton has been consistent about his desire to remain with the Twins, and he reiterated that when he was asked about his status following the week’s massive roster turnover.
“Nothing’s changed,” Buxton said. “It’s just part of baseball. It’s the business side of it. Just because we go through these tough roads or whatever, it is what it is. We’ll be better once we get on the other end of it and figure things out a little bit more. Like I said, the end of the season we’ll talk a little bit more, but I ain’t going nowhere.”
Buxton remains sidelined with a left rib cartilage injury he suffered on July 26. He cannot be activated from the injured list until Wednesday in Detroit, but he nonetheless accompanied the team for the first part of its road trip in Cleveland. Buxton felt it was important to be with his teammates after the Deadline, even before anyone was aware just how far the moves would go.
“I talked with [manager Rocco Baldelli] and [head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta] about that, and they wanted me to come as well. So I definitely thought it was a big thing for me to be here,” he said. “Let these guys know that no matter what, I got their back. Even though we’re going through these tough situations, it’s still baseball.”
Like most of his teammates, Buxton was not shocked that the Twins engaged in some level of selling at the Deadline. That had been rumored for some time, and with six pending free agents, a degree of trading for the future was expected. But also like many others in the clubhouse, he was not expecting it to go as far as it did, with Correa dealt as well as four relievers who still had years of team control.
But for the time being, Buxton is focusing on the work in front of him and the team, rather than dwelling on the moves.
“With these guys we have in here, it’s a great opportunity,” he said. “Look what Detroit did last year. They got rid of some guys and then they went on a run and they made the playoffs, so nothing is out of the equation as far as where we want to get to.
“We’ve just got to come up here and play smart baseball, play great baseball and everything else will take care of itself. Like I said, keep picking each other up. It’s a lot of new faces in here that probably ain’t comfortable at the moment, so it’s one of my responsibilities to get it right in here.”
Twins tidbits
• Simeon Woods Richardson, who had been initially slated to start Sunday, has been pushed back for undisclosed reasons. José Ureña, called up from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, will start instead.
• Cole Sands and Justin Topa will serve as the primary late-inning relievers, but there will be some flexibility in that. Michael Tonkin and Kody Funderburk also figure to be in the mix late in games when Minnesota has a lead.
• Kody Clemens looks to be the primary first baseman for the time being, with Edouard Julien limited to second base and some DH. Austin Martin will play center field, left field and even some second base.