The Twins shipped out nearly 40% of their roster but could’ve been even more active. Minnesota also received interest in catcher Ryan Jeffers from multiple teams, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, though obviously nothing came together.
Whether it was a case of the Twins not receiving a satisfactory offer or simply not having time to hammer out yet another swap involving a player controlled beyond the current season, Jeffers is still the Twins’ starting catcher — at least for now. He’s controllable only through the 2026 season, so it stands to reason that he could again be a trade candidate this winter. Perhaps if the Pohlad family can complete a sale of the team in the near future, new ownership will be more intent on keeping a competitive roster together for next season. However, as things currently stand, Jeffers seems likely to be available again in a few months’ time, given the sheer magnitude of Minnesota’s still-surprising deadline teardown.
The 28-year-old Jeffers (29 next June) is enjoying a third straight productive year at the plate, hitting .260/.345/.409 with eight homers, 22 doubles, a 9.8% walk rate and a career-low 19.3% strikeout rate. Dating back to the 2023 season, he’s a .250/.333/.441 hitter — good for a 117 wRC+ that ranks fifth among all qualified big league catchers in that time. His glovework isn’t as well regarded, but Jeffers isn’t a liability from a defensive standpoint by any means. He’s earning $4.55MM this year and will likely clear $7MM next season in his final year of club control.
It’ll be a thin market for teams seeking help behind the plate this winter, so Jeffers should hold plenty of appeal if the Twins do dangle him. The top options on the free agent market will be J.T. Realmuto, ahead of his age-35 season, and Victor Caratini, who’s never really handled a starter’s workload behind the dish. (Even this year, as Caratini is on track for a new career-high in plate appearances, he’s spent 24 games at DH and 11 at first base in addition to his 39 games behind the plate.)
There will be a few other options to consider, but this offseason’s catcher class is composed primarily of mid-30s backups and younger starters who are struggling through down years. Danny Jansen is having a sub-par year for a second straight season. Gary Sanchez will end up missing roughly one-third of the year with the PCL sprain that’s currently sidelining him. Salvador Perez can technically become a free agent, but the Royals will presumably pick up his $13.5MM club option (a net $11.5MM decision when considering the option’s $2MM buyout).
As explored at greater length by MLBTR’s Anthony Franco yesterday, Jeffers and top starter Joe Ryan headline a group of several logical offseason trade candidates who remain on the Twins’ roster after that deadline purge.
I worked for the Twins,back till 2000. And was a fan from 61 on as a 9 year old kid. I was in Carl’s office many times, and am now sick with what his golden spoon sons and grandson have done. I can only hope for new ownership. Be gone Pohlads.
Did you use a mop or broom?
Thanks for sharing jeppeson. I appreciate your perspective whilst dumpster divin theo must lead a sad lonely life.
I repeatedly said the Sox should get him. Now they wished they listened to me.
I mean, yeah, nearly everyone on the team short of literal rookies should have been getting interest once it became clear that the Twins were just throwing guys at the first plausible sounding offer that came their way. The only thing that stopped more of these deals is that I think teams caught wind of the actual breadth of this sale too late to finalize something (see: Boston and Ryan)
Odd – An extra WEEK of negotiations wouldn’t have made a difference with Boston’s pursuit of Ryan. They were never even in the same universe, it was nothing more than the usual Breslow “look we tried” lowball offer.
The shoe is on the other foot.
That “we tried really hard to get so and so” routine has usually been Derek Falvey whenever the Twins have been in contention at tne deadline,or during free agency season.
The Twins have zero depth at catcher. Selling Jeffers would be blatant disregard for anything and everything.
Wow. What would all baseball fans do if they didn’t have that information.
I’d guess everyone was available. High asking prices on anyone that was not a rental, Not all that surprising. Unless new ownership gets done before the off season. Expect more trades. . Maybe even with new ownership. we shouldn’t plan on new owners spending more…It hasn’t worked so far…
My guess is 2027 after trading away Lopez, Ryan and Ober, maybe even Lewis and Buxton. They start to return to being a good team. 2029 maybe a really good team.
I tend to agree, really hope the assumptions about trading Ryan and Lopez don’t come to pass, but if the world of baseball has learned anything over this past deadline, it’s that Byron Buxton will not wave his no-trade clause for anything. So, as a Twins fan, there is some solace in that a rebuild wouldn’t have to start from scratch. Obviously, they may have to rebuild some joint or body part of Buxton’s while rebuilding a roster, but at the least there will be hope about a return from the inevitable IL stay. (I hate the lazy comments about Buxton being “fragile” that always show up in the comments section of any Twins story, so my target isn’t Buxton here. It’s the hopelessness us Twins fans experience after reading anything Twins related since late July. Except content about Buck never leaving the Twins, of course.)
After the deadline trades made by the Twins, the GM’s from 31 MLB teams should be lining up to explore deals with the Twins. Given the accomplishments of the traded players, the actual market value of the traded players as well as the returns received by other teams for their own traded players it is clear that the Twins should have and could have done better. Other GM’s should be licking their chops to deal with the Twins as it is apparent that they are ripe to accept either bargain basement returns or actual garbage in return for quality.. Also in that the team failed to address long term solutions for First Base and a Right Handed Batting Outfielder.
Just look at these trades and the returns:
Griffin Jax for Taj Bradley (Tampa Bay Rays)
Willi Castro for Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong (Chicago Cubs)
Louis Varland & Ty France for Kendry Rojas & Alan Roden (Toronto Blue Jays)
Carlos Correa & $33MM for Matt Miluski (Houston Astros)
Danny Coulombe for Garrett Horn (Texas Rangers)
Brock Stewart for James Outman (LA Dodgers)
Harrison Bader for Hendry Mendez & Geremy Villoria (Philadelphia Phillies)
Jhoan Duran for Edwardo Tait & Mick Abel (Philadelphia Phillies)
Chris Paddack & Randy Dobnak for Enrique Jimenez (Detroit Tigers)
CASH for Noah Davis (LA Dodgers)
I don’t know man, I don’t hate the trades. Roden, Bradley, and Abel are going to be fun to watch in the near term and Tait, Rojas, Mendez, Villoria, Jimenez, and Horn for the long term. It seems like a haul to me for a bunch of RP’s and I’m a RP enthusiast. Actually, it feels like one of either Festa, Bradley, or Abel might make one helluva closer. Anywho, the Twins are kind of vibing right now Roden is heating up.
Let’s pretend like the Twins sold in a few weeks, if the new owners agreed to even an average MLB salary, that’d give the Twins $60m to spend this offseason. Let’s talk about that (cough, Naylor, cough).
Yeah, besides the Correa trade and maybe the Stewart trade, I can’t find much to quibble over regarding the returns. I understand some fans wanted different names in return, but the quality level of the returns seemed at least to be fair.
Just returning payroll to that of 2023 would give the front office (whomever that may be) a lot of cash to fill some longtime holes. Not sure about investing a hundred mil in Josh Naylor’s body, though. I hope I’m wrong, but unless he gets with a great dietician and trainer in the offseason, I don’t see him aging well. Hell of a player, and would love him on a shorter term deal than what he’ll probably earn.
When did MLB add a 31st and 32nd team?
BuyBuyMets, it was around the time when teams started to have to worry about “cap space” and when Manfred finally decided to allow future draft picks to be traded, not just the CB picks, remember? Back when teams finally started drafting for need rather than best player available? I’m still baffled as to why Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Little Rock were the cities chosen for the expansion. But what do I know? The Fightin’ Clintons and Rippin’ River Carp have proven they know how to field competitive rosters!
So much of a catcher’s job is in the rapport and familiarity with the pitchers, I think a starting caliber catcher probably isnt a good idea to trade with 2 months of season left. There’s just not enough time to develop that rapport, and every miscue that is made while you get used to a new staff is an error that can swing important playoff race ballgames.
On the other hand, I would think a competitive team would be worth more.