5 Thoughts: Byron Buxton 'rejects' Twins contract offer; what's next?

The Twins are at a crossroads and the heat will be on this week before Friday's trade deadline. With 100 games in the books, how will Derek Falvey and Thad Levine play it this week?

Thank you for supporting this Twins column, hopefully this will be a good week. This column presents 5 Thoughts on the Twins at a crossroads:

1) Byron Buxton’s future in Minnesota

Byron Buxton has ‘rejected’ a contract extension offer from the Twins, according to a report in The Athletic. Ken Rosenthal later amended that wording, stating that it’s more accurate to say that both sides rejected proposals from each other. In any case, the timing and the contents of the report give the impression of an impasse in contract extension talks.

The report from Rosenthal and Dan Hayes said that Buxton’s camp turned down a $73 million offer over 7 years, and the Twins apparently upped the amount to $80 million guaranteed, presumably with incentives that would bring the total value higher based on things like playing time and individual accomplishments. 

The key quote:

“…Ultimately the parties could not bridge the gap that defined these negotiations — the difference between what Buxton delivers as an o…