Byron Buxton has missed most of this season due to injuries, but that hasn't stopped trade rumblings from barreling their way into the MLB trade deadline discourse.
PointsBet in Colorado has released odds on where the sportsbook thinks the Gold Glover might land before the July 30 deadline. If Buxton is not traded, all bets will be refunded.
Byron Buxton Trade Odds
Odds according to PointsBet in Colorado only as of Thursday afternoon
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Yankees | +200 |
| Astros | +300 |
| Phillies | +425 |
| Braves | +500 |
| Brewers | +625 |
| Dodgers | +750 |
| Red Sox | +1000 |
Buxton has hit .282/.322/.581 over 153 games since the 2019 season including 33 homers and 92 RBI but has struggled to stay healthy.
The most games he's ever played in a single season is 140, when he did so in 2017.
This season, he has missed 39 games with a strained right hip and is currently on the injured list with a fractured left hand, which has kept him sidelined since June.
He only lasted three days between injured list stints before suffering the fracture on a hit-by-pitch.
The Twins are considered sellers this summer despite being preseason co-favorites to win the AL Central. They've drastically underperformed their metrics to the tune of a 43-60 record — 17 games back from the Chicago White Sox for the division lead.
Minnesota has a 0.0% chance to make the playoffs or win the division as of Thursday, according to FanGraphs.
The Yankees, who just acquired fellow outfielder Joey Gallo on Wednesday and Anthony Rizzo on Thursday, are +200 favorites to land Buxton. New York has struggled offensively this season and have lagged in the bottom half of MLB in runs scored and batting average.
The Astros are second-best favorites at +300, and could use Buxton's power at the hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park. Houston's current center fielder Myles Straw is slugging just .326 and has an OPS+ of 87. Straw and Buxton are about tied on Outs Above Average, according to Baseball Savant, even though Buxton has played 71 fewer games.
The team with the next-best odds are the Phillies, who also play their home games at a notoriously hitter-friendly ballpark. Starting center fielder Odubel Herrera has hit a paltry .240/.293/.386 this season over 271 plate appearances. Herrera also has the same amount of Outs Above Average as Buxton despite 41 more games played.
The Braves (+500), Brewers (+625) and Dodgers (+750) all could use more offensive production out of their center fielders, too.
For the Braves, Guillermo Heredia has been serviceable but decidedly below-average at the plate. He's hit .240/.321/.386 this season with a -0.2 bWAR.
The Brewers have Jackie Bradley Jr. manning center field, and while he's hit just .177/.253/.293 over 328 plate appearances, he makes up for it with his elite, elite defense.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger has had the worst season of his career two years removed from his National League MVP honor in 2019. He is hitting just .165/.272/.297 over just under 200 plate appearances. It's been a two-year slump for Bellinger — including 2020, he's hit just .208/.307/.388 with 17 homers over his last 101 games.
For reference, in 2019, Bellinger hit .305/.406/.629 with an 8.7 bWAR, 47 homers and 115 RBI.
Buxton has one more year of team control after this season before he is eligible to become a free agent. He is currently on a one-year, $5,125,000 contract.
The 27-year-old has spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins organization after he was drafted second overall in the 2012 MLB Draft.
The 2017 Gold Glove Award winner was named the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball America prior to the 2015 season.
