Byron Buxton’s loyalty to the Twins was finally rewarded with the long-awaited Silver Slugger

As Twins fans know, it has been a dark season for their favorite team. Minnesota missed the playoffs for the second straight season after finishing the 2025 season with the second-worst record in the American League (70-92) behind the Chicago White Sox (60-102). One bright spot for the Twins this year, however, was the performance of the team’s longest-tenured player: Byron Buxton.

Twins center fielder Byron Buxton among American League Silver Slugger Award winners

On FanSided’s “The baseball insidersOn Friday evening, it was announced on YouTube that Buxton, who hit .264/.327/.551 (136 OPS+) this year with career-highs in home runs (35) and RBIs (83), will be among the 2025 winners of the American League (AL) Silver Slugger Award for outfielders. Aaron Judge (unsurprisingly) and Riley Greene are the two other AL outfielders to win the award.

Buxton’s new distinction marks 11 long seasons for the veteran. In December 2021, Buxton, as a 27-year-old who had played in just 493 games over parts of seven seasons, signed a seven-year, $100 million extension with the Twins. The expansion includes bonuses for recording a certain number of at-bats and finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting. At the time, having Buxton for just $100 million for seven years seemed like a bargain. However, given his injury history, the contract made sense for both parties involved.

Buxton wanted to stay with the Twins even though the team has failed to advance past the Divisional Round during their star midfielder’s tenure. Buxton made his loyalty even clearer during this year’s All-Star break, when the Twins weren’t playing great and it became increasingly clear that the team would initiate a sellout at the trade deadline.

‘I’ll be a Minnesota Twin for the rest of my life’ Buxton told reporters. “It’s the best feeling in the world knowing that I can walk into a clubhouse that says ‘Minnesota Twins’ for the rest of my life.”

Let’s hope Buxton stays healthy for most of the season again in 2026. Let’s also hope that his team doesn’t let him down for the second year in a row.