If Sunday was Ryan Jeffers’ final game in a Minnesota Twins uniform, he made sure the exit was proper.
The 29-year-old catcher went 2-for-3 with a double, a single, and an RBI walk to help the Twins play spoiler in their 6-4 victory over the Texas Rangers, effectively eliminating them from playoff contention.
Jeffers finishes 2026 with a .256/.353/.461 slash line along with 14 home runs and 56 RBI over 92 games.
He looked poised to earn his first career All-Star selection after hitting .295 with seven home runs, 26 RBI, and a .949 OPS over his first 37 games. Unfortunately, Jeffers suffered a left hamate bone fracture on May 18 against the Houston Astros and missed nearly the next two months.
He returned to the lineup on July 10, but his batting average and OPS dipped to .231 and still-solid .727, respectively, over his final 55 games after coming off the injured list.
Still, despite coming off the injury, Jeffers’ name was heavily involved in trade rumors ahead of this summer’s MLB trade deadline. Yet he stayed put in Minnesota.
However, Jeffers, now a free agent, is keeping all of his options open.
Ryan Jeffers Loves the Idea of a Twins Reunion, but is Also Exploring Other Options
Over seven seasons in Minnesota, Jeffers has slashed .242/.327/.426 with 82 home runs and 279 RBI over 607 games.
After the Twins’ regular-season finale, Jeffers expressed mixed feelings about free agency while remaining optimistic.
“I’ve worked too hard to corner myself into one team or two teams,” Jeffers said. “I love the idea of a reunion. I also love the idea of going out there and seeing what else is out there. I’m excited for this. I’ve worked really hard for this moment, for free agency, and that doesn’t mean the chapter here has closed. We’ll just see where we go.”
In a relatively thin market for catchers, Jeffers will likely be the top free agent at the position and could command a significant payday. Furthermore, many teams that were interested in acquiring catching help at the trade deadline but didn’t could ramp up their efforts to land Jeffers this winter.
Jeffers remaining open to a return gives Minnesota an opportunity to retain him. However, the question is how willing the Twins are to make a competitive offer after selecting their catcher of the future, Vahn Lackey, with the third overall pick in the MLB Draft this past July.
Elsewhere at the major league level, Minnesota has Victor Caratini under contract for one more season.
Bringing back Jeffers would keep him as the Twins’ starting catcher, but only time will tell whether he stays with Minnesota or signs a new contract elsewhere.
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