Ryan Jeffers Open To Staying With Twins, Plans To Test Free Agency

Catcher Ryan Jeffers has been with the Twins since they took him in the second round of the 2018 draft, but his time with the organization may be nearing an end. While the soon-to-be free agent is open to staying in Minnesota, he is eager to test the market during the offseason. “I’ve worked too hard to corner myself into one team or two teams,” Jeffers said Sunday (via Dan Hayes of The Athletic). “I love the idea of a reunion. I also love the idea of going out there and seeing what else is out there.” As the best catcher and one of the top hitters available in an underwhelming free agent class, Jeffers is in good position to cash in with the Twins or someone else this winter. The righty-swinging Jeffers has been a consistent offensive threat dating to a breakout campaign in 2023, as the 119 wRC+ he has posted in 1,632 plate appearances since then ranks eighth at his position. A mid-May hamate fracture kept Jeffers out for two months and limited him to 92 games this year, though he still enjoyed a productive season. The 29-year-old slashed .256/.353/.461 with 14 home runs and career-best strikeout and walk rates (17.9% and 12.5%, respectively) over 368 trips to the plate. Jeffers’ 128 wRC+ indicates he was 28% better than the average major league hitter at any position, which is even more impressive for a catcher. The average backstop recorded a 91 wRC+, 9% below the league mean. Jeffers has been much more successful as a hitter than a defender, having typically registered below-average caught-stealing numbers and gotten subpar framing and blocking grades. It was largely the same story in 2026, a year in which he threw out just 10.6% of would-be base thieves (league average was 22.7%) and ranked in the 37th percentile as a framer. Jeffers was passable as a blocker (51st percentile), though, and he held his own with ABS challenges. He finished 12th among 107 catchers in Overturns Vs. Expected (9.5), per Statcast. With Jeffers nearing free agency in November, the Twins will have to determine whether to extend him the estimated $23.1MM qualifying offer. They’ll have to make their choice within five days of the end of the World Series. It is unlikely Jeffers would accept the QO, according to Hayes, though rejecting it and signing elsewhere would entitle the Twins to draft compensation. They would receive a pick after the first round if he signs a contract worth $50MM-plus and a selection after the second if he inks a deal worth less than that. As a candidate for a three- or four-year pact worth $15MM-plus per season, Jeffers has a chance to exceed the $50MM mark. Along with a compensatory draft pick, Jeffers’ departure would leave Minnesota with the experienced Victor Caratini as its most likely starter for 2027. The Twins have one of the game’s premier catching prospects in Vahn Lackey, the third overall pick in the 2026 draft, but he’s likely still a couple years away. In the meantime, the Twins could dip into free agency for someone cheaper than Jeffers or look to acquire a new partner for Caratini in a trade. Tyler Stephenson, Austin Hedges, Jonah Heim, James McCann and former Twin Christian Vázquez are among several veterans who are on track to become free agents. Photo courtesy of Matt Blewett, Imagn Images