(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Joe Ryan #41 of the Minnesota Twins could be a top Red Sox trade target, especially after the team did not make a qualifying offer to Lucas Giolito.

After a nightmare 9-19 start to the season that led to them firing their former manager, Rob Thomson, the Philadelphia Phillies have been heating up big time. The Phillies now have a 25-25 record and are second in the National League East. With this, the Phillies have a 16-6 record in their last 22 games.

Due to this hot stretch of play, the Phillies are back into the playoff race. They trail the St. Louis Cardinals by 3.5 games for the final wild card spot in the National League, so all hope is certainly not lost for Philadelphia. However, if they hope to climb up the standings further, they will need to continue to pile up wins.

With this, it would not be surprising in the slightest if the Phillies look to add to their roster between now and the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline. One of their biggest needs is another star starting pitcher to help bolster their rotation.

Because of this, the Phillies are now being urged to make a trade for one of the league’s top pitching trade candidates.

Phillies Urged to Make Trade for Twins Star Pitcher Joe Ryan

In a recent article for Sports Illustrated, Jackson Roberts took a look at one player that each contender in the National League should consider targeting this season. When it came to the Phillies, Roberts urged them to try to strike a deal for Minnesota Twins star pitcher Joe Ryan.

“The Phillies’ slow start is blissfully over, but it also showed that this team has plenty of flaws to address if it wants a fifth-straight postseason appearance. Outfield, rotation, and bullpen are all obvious areas of need, while Alec Bohm’s third-base job could be stripped by the deadline if he doesn’t pick up the pace. Top target: MIN RHP Joe Ryan — go big or go home,” Roberts wrote.

With the Phillies in need of another high-impact starting pitcher, it would make a lot of sense for them to pursue Ryan this season. He would give the front half of their pitching rotation a major boost if acquired, which would certainly benefit a Phillies club that is looking to climb up the standings.

Ryan has appeared in 11 games this season for the Twins, where he has a 3-3 record, a 3.02 ERA, and 61 strikeouts. This is after he was an All-Star for Minnesota in 2025, posting a 13-10 record, a 3.42 ERA, and 194 strikeouts. With numbers like these, he is exactly the kind of pitcher the Phillies should be looking to land before the trade deadline.

Phillies Won’t Be the Only Team in On Twins’ Ryan

With Ryan being a star pitcher with an affordable salary, the Phillies would not be the only team interested in the 6-foot-2 righty if they decided to target him. He is exactly the kind of pitcher that contenders love to add ahead of the deadline, so the Phillies would have plenty of competition in the sweepstakes.

While this is the case, the Phillies would be very wise to try to acquire Ryan. They need another pitcher to help their chances of being a playoff team this year.