NL contender could target Twins' Ryan Jeffers in a trade, per report

If the Philadelphia Phillies don't re-sign longtime catcher J.T. Realmuto, one alternate avenue they could explore is a trade for the Twins' Ryan Jeffers, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb.

Realmuto is a three-time All-Star who has been Philadelphia's catcher since the 2019 season. But he turns 35 in March and is now a free agent coming off of his worst offensive season with the Phillies, which has presumably contributed to the current standoff between the team and player. And with no guarantees that the two sides find common ground, the Phillies may have to consider other options, Gelb wrote.

"The Phillies have explored contingencies because pitchers and catchers report to Florida in five weeks. It would be ideal to have a starting catcher report. The Phillies have talked trades for catchers, young and old; Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers is one potential target, league sources told The Athletic."

If the Twins got a strong trade offer from the Phillies for Jeffers, it could make sense for them to consider a deal. The 28-year-old is projected to make $6.5 million in his final year of arbitration and then become a free agent after the 2026 season.

Ryan Jeffers — Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The issue is that the Twins don't have another primary catching option on their roster. As Gelb acknowledged in his article, "the closer everyone gets to camps opening, the more reluctant teams are to trade away a catcher." With Christian Vazquez a free agent, the other catchers currently on the Twins' 40-man roster are backups Alex Jackson and Jhonny Pereda, neither of whom is anywhere close to being considered a No. 1 catcher at the MLB level.

Eduardo Tait, the catcher who came to Minnesota from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran trade, is the Twins' No. 3 prospect, but he's 19 years old and several years away from the big leagues. Ricardo Olivar at Double-A is probably the most advanced catching prospect in Minnesota's farm system.

If this were to happen, the Twins would have to add a Jeffers replacement, either via trade or free agency. The FA options include the likes of Jonah Heim, Mitch Garver, Victor Caratini, Elias Diaz, Gary Sanchez, and Vazquez.

It's hard to imagine a world where trading Jeffers away wouldn't result in the Twins downgrading somewhat significantly at that position in 2026, which would be tough for a team that ostensibly wants to compete for an AL Central title. Then again, the Twins aren't realistic World Series contender this year, so a case could be made for trading Jeffers away for prospects instead of letting him walk in free agency after the season.

In 515 games over six seasons with the Twins, Jeffers has hit .239 with a 105 OPS+ and 68 home runs, which is quality offensive production from the position. And he's hit .254 with a 113 OPS+ over the past three seasons, highlighted by his excellent 2023 season (133 OPS+, 3.2 WAR). He's made over 460 plate appearances in each of the last two seasons.

It's an interesting report to keep in mind as the offseason moves forward. If Jeffers becomes the latest Twins player to join the Phillies (Duran, Harrison Bader, Max Kepler), Minnesota would have a major roster hole to fill.

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