Twins finally make second offseason signing by adding veteran catcher

For just the second time this offseason, the Twins have signed a major league free agent. They're in agreement on a two-year contract with veteran switch-hitting catcher Victor Caratini, according to insider Robert Murray. MLB insider Héctor Gómez reports Caratini is signing for two-years, $14 million.

Free-agent catcher Victor Caratini and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a two-year contract, according to sources familiar with the deal.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 16, 2026

Caratini joins first baseman and designated hitter Josh Bell as the Twins' lone MLB signings so far. The bullpen still needs to be addressed, but maybe that'll come next.

This is a move that makes plenty of sense, considering the Twins needed a replacement for Christian Vazquez as their No. 2 catcher behind Ryan Jeffers. They did previously add Alex Jackson from the Orioles in a late-November trade, but Jackson has a career .527 OPS in 160 games.

Ironically, just like Vazquez was when the Twins signed him in 2023, Caratini is a 32-year-old catcher from Puerto Rico who most recently played for the Houston Astros. Apparently the Twins have a type.

Caratini played in 114 games for the Astros last season and had a career-high 386 plate appearances. He hit .259 with a .728 OPS and career bests in runs (35), home runs (12) and RBI (46). Those are all solid offensive numbers for a rotational catcher. Caratini was even better in fewer plate appearances in 2024, when he hit .269 with a .744 OPS.

Victor(y) Caratini. #Walkoff pic.twitter.com/hmAGHH5GYT
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2024

Originally a second-round pick by the Braves in 2013, Caratini was traded to the Cubs a year later and made his MLB debut with Chicago in 2017. He had a big role in 2019, when he hit 11 home runs and had a .794 OPS (though it's worth noting that offense was way up across the league that year). After the 2020 season, Caratini went to the Padres along with Yu Darvish in a major trade. He spent one year in San Diego, then spent two seasons with the Brewers before his last two in Houston.

Across 720 career regular season games, Caratini has hit .244 with 58 home runs and a .692 OPS. He doesn't chase out of the zone or strike out at very high rates. In recent years, he's typically hit around .260 with 10ish homers and roughly 1.0 WAR. That's a useful player, especially if he's part of a catcher tandem and not expected to be the No. 1 guy at that position. And that'll be the case in 2026, barring a surprise Jeffers trade.

Victor Caratini | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Twins presumably will continue to follow a similar playing time split as they did last season, when Jeffers had 464 plate appearances and Vazquez had 214. Then again, Caratini has a much better recent offensive track record than Vazquez, so he could push for a larger role.

Caratini is a solid defensive catcher, too. And he's also made 88 career appearances at first base, so that gives him a little extra flexibility to perhaps get in the lineup when he's not catching.

More Twins coverage