The Twins don’t have to make Ryan Jeffers the centerpiece of their deadline plans, even if that’s where most of the attention has landed.
Jeffers is the obvious headliner. He’s in the middle of the best offensive season of his career, he’s heading toward free agency after the year, and a growing list of contenders has been tied to catching help. But with the market tightening, Minnesota could choose a different path: move Victor Caratini, keep Jeffers, and still come out ahead.
That possibility matters more now than it did a few days ago. The catching market has thinned out, and the list of clubs looking for help behind the plate includes the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, and White Sox.
One of the more appealing fallback options also vanished when Athletics All-Star Shea Langeliers suffered a season-ending torn meniscus in his right knee. With Langeliers out, the demand only climbs.
Jeffers is right in the middle of it. He’s hitting .283/.390/.532 with nine home runs and a .922 OPS, production that has pushed him into the conversation as one of baseball’s best offensive catchers. The appeal is obvious: power, patience, and a strike-zone approach that plays for just about any contender trying to upgrade behind the plate.
And because he’s scheduled to reach free agency after the season, the Twins have a real decision to make. They can treat him as part of the long-term picture, or they can use the deadline to cash in while his value is high.
Letting him walk for nothing would be the worst-case outcome. If another club is ready to pay a premium now, Minnesota has to listen.
With Langeliers no longer available, Jeffers may be the best catcher realistically on the market.
Still, there are bigger names in the rumor cycle. Diamond Centric currently ranks Jeffers as the No. 42 overall trade candidate, and lists Adley Rutschman Hunter Goodman, and Francisco Alvarez ahead of him among available catchers.
The catch, of course, is control. Rutschman, Goodman, and Alvarez are all under team control beyond 2026, which makes them much costlier to acquire.
A team would have to give up a lot more prospect value to land one of them, and their current clubs don’t have the same urgency to move them. That’s where Jeffers can become especially valuable for Minnesota: he’s a more attainable upgrade for clubs that want help now without gutting the farm system.
If the Twins decide Jeffers is staying put, Caratini becomes the name to watch.
He’s not Jeffers at the plate, and that’s putting it mildly. Through 78 games, Caratini has a .684 OPS and a 92 OPS+, which makes him a below-average hitter.
But he brings experience, switch-hitting, and postseason mileage, and he remains under contract next season. He is owed a $6.5-million base salary in 2027 and has a $12-million mutual option for 2028.
As is often the case with mutual options, the more likely result is the Twins paying the $3.5-million buyout instead of both sides exercising it. In practical terms, Minnesota is on the hook for $10 million for next season.
A move like that would do more than open a spot for another club’s catching need. It would also give the Twins more payroll flexibility for next year, which could help them chase a reunion with Jeffers or simply create more room to attack other roster needs over the winter.
Caratini’s value is tied less to the bat and more to the rest of the package. He’s been an above-average framer and blocker, and that matters when a catcher can help pitchers steal strikes and keep runners from doing damage on balls in the dirt.
The issue is the running game. He has been charged with -6 runs in caught stealing above average and owns one of the slowest pop times among major-league catchers, which leaves him exposed against teams that like to run.
Even so, experienced catching is hard to find in late July, and Caratini still checks enough boxes to draw interest.
There’s also a third option, though it barely moves the needle financially: trade Alex Jackson. That would not save much money, but it would clear up the three-catcher logjam and make everyone’s role more defined.
For now, Jeffers is still the name to watch, and for good reason. He’s producing at the perfect time, and the market around him has only gotten thinner.
But if Minnesota wants to keep its hottest offensive catcher and still make a deadline move, Caratini offers the cleanest middle ground. It wouldn’t be the loudest deal.
It might be the smartest one.
In Other News...
Josh Bell Just Said What Twins Fans Need To Hear
Josh Bell has a simple message for the front office as the trade deadline approaches: dont tear this thing down again. The veteran first baseman sees a Twins club with a real offense, promising young talent and enough in place to keep pushing, and he made it clear the group would rather be reinforced than reshaped. From his perspective, the conversation around Minnesota should be about adding to a roster that still believes it can matter.
The biggest hole still looks familiar, though, and it sits in the bullpen. Relief pitching has emerged as the clearest need if the Twins want to stay in the postseason mix, and the sense around the team is that one or two additions could make a real difference. For a clubhouse trying to prove it belongs together, the deadline will say plenty about whether the organization is ready to back that up. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Have Found The Smart Deadline Pitching Move Fans Wanted
The Twins appear ready to approach the deadline like a club that believes it can still play into October, and that makes the pitching market especially interesting. Rather than chasing a short-term rental, Minnesota is being linked to a starter with enough quality to help the rotation now and enough team control to matter beyond this season, a combination that fits a front office trying to avoid a one-and-done move.
Seattles surplus on the mound only adds to the intrigue, since the Mariners are in position to deal from strength while looking for offense. For Minnesota, the appeal is obvious: a pitcher who can steady the staff in the stretch run and remain part of the long-term plan would be the kind of deadline addition that feels both aggressive and measured, even if the final price and timing are still very much in play. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Get Troubling David Festa Update No One Wanted To Hear
David Festas season has been headed in the wrong direction for a while, and the latest update only deepens the concern for the Twins. The right-hander, who has been on the 60-day injured list all year, has not pitched in a regular-season game since last July, leaving Minnesota without a young arm it had hoped could factor into the pitching mix.
Now the next step is surgery, with Festa set to have procedures on his shoulder and pectoral muscle. General manager Jeremy Zoll said Festa is likely to miss the entire season, a sobering development for a club that has already had to plan around his absence and now has to wait even longer to see what comes next. [Read more 🡒]