The World Series matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers gets rolling at 7:00 p.m. CDT on Friday at American Family Field in Milwaukee, with FOX carrying the broadcast. Tampa Bay got through the Cleveland Guardians in six games to claim the American League Championship Series, while Milwaukee finished off the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 4-0 sweep in the National League Championship Series.
For the Twins, though, the bigger story may be tucked inside that matchup. Once the offseason starts, Minnesota should be looking at two players from the Fall Classic as possible targets.
The first name on that list is Gary Sánchez, the Brewers’ catcher. Minnesota is set to need help behind the plate if Ryan Jeffers departs in free agency, and the picture gets even thinner if Jeffers turns down a qualifying offer. In that scenario, Victor Caratini would be the only catcher on the Twins’ 40-man roster when the offseason opens.
Sánchez makes sense as a short-term answer. He and Caratini could share the catching job until Vahn Lackey is ready to step in.
Lackey, the 2026 No. 3 overall pick, could be in position to make his MLB debut as soon as late 2027. With that timeline, Minnesota does not need to lock itself into a long-term catching deal this winter.
Sánchez also has familiarity with the organization. He played for the Twins in 2022 after coming over in the Josh Donaldson trade with the New York Yankees.
This past regular season with Milwaukee, he hit .209/.349/.422 with 12 home runs and 38 RBI in 275 plate appearances. So far in the postseason, he has logged just one plate appearance.
The other potential Twins target is Freddy Peralta, now with the Rays. If Minnesota is not planning to extend Joe Ryan or Pablo López, Peralta should be on the radar as a pitcher worth pursuing on a long-term deal.
Peralta spent eight seasons with the Brewers from 2018-25 before being dealt to the New York Mets in the offseason. His stint in New York never took off, as he posted a 4.99 ERA over 22 starts. The Rays acquired him at the trade deadline, and he quickly settled in.
Since joining Tampa Bay, Peralta has put together a 3.25 ERA over 10 regular-season starts. He has been even sharper in October, giving up only two earned runs in 16 2/3 innings across four playoff appearances, including three starts.
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