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The Minnesota Twins have mostly hung around in the American League Central division this year. Despite being five games below .500, Minnesota trails the first-place Cleveland Guardians by just six games in the loss column. While that is a respectable margin, the Twins are in a much better position than both the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers, who each entered the season with higher expectations than Minnesota, but have significantly underperformed.
Minnesota not being fully out of the postseason picture at this point in the season has some wondering whether the team may take a different approach at this year’s trade deadline than it has in previous years. Having a fire sale at the deadline last season, the Twins gutted their bullpen and traded away several key contributors. If the team revisits that strategy this summer, one player in particular has emerged as a real potential trade candidate.
Right-handed hitting catcher Ryan Jeffers is having a career season at the plate.
Always above average offensively for his position, Jeffers has taken another step forward this season and has posted a .949 OPS through 37 games. He is currently sidelined for six to eight weeks due to a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, but will presumably return well before the playoffs, making him a potential big addition for a team looking to make a deep run in October.
In a recent article listing the top trade candidates for this year’s deadline, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report had Jeffers atop his list. The 28-year-old will hit free agency this offseason, and if the Twins feel he may be pricing himself out of their range, it could make a lot of sense to gather some assets for him at the deadline.
As for who may have interest in Jeffers, the New York Yankees make a lot of sense. New York catchers have the third-worst OPS in baseball at .551, and the Yankees are a team that could not only part with the assets to land Jeffers, but could be willing to pay him in free agency.
The New York Post has already reported the Yankees will look to add catching help at the deadline.
For his career, Jeffers owns a 109 OPS+, which is above league average. He hit a career-high 21 home runs in 2024, driving in 64 runs that season, which were also a career best. A lot of teams need more production out of the catcher spot, and Jeffers projects to be the best option available at the deadline, unless the Orioles decide to listen on Adley Rutschman, as Miller also noted in his piece.
The MLB trade deadline is not until the first week of August, so the Twins have plenty of time to figure out their exact direction this year. But with Cleveland looking to be a tier above the rest in the Central, and the White Sox also taking a big step forward this season, the Twins are pretty comfortably third in that division despite still being relatively in the mix.
That can certainly change before August, and if it does, keep an eye on the availability of Jeffers.
Continue reading...
Minnesota not being fully out of the postseason picture at this point in the season has some wondering whether the team may take a different approach at this year’s trade deadline than it has in previous years. Having a fire sale at the deadline last season, the Twins gutted their bullpen and traded away several key contributors. If the team revisits that strategy this summer, one player in particular has emerged as a real potential trade candidate.
Right-handed hitting catcher Ryan Jeffers is having a career season at the plate.
Always above average offensively for his position, Jeffers has taken another step forward this season and has posted a .949 OPS through 37 games. He is currently sidelined for six to eight weeks due to a fractured hamate bone in his left hand, but will presumably return well before the playoffs, making him a potential big addition for a team looking to make a deep run in October.
In a recent article listing the top trade candidates for this year’s deadline, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report had Jeffers atop his list. The 28-year-old will hit free agency this offseason, and if the Twins feel he may be pricing himself out of their range, it could make a lot of sense to gather some assets for him at the deadline.
As for who may have interest in Jeffers, the New York Yankees make a lot of sense. New York catchers have the third-worst OPS in baseball at .551, and the Yankees are a team that could not only part with the assets to land Jeffers, but could be willing to pay him in free agency.
The New York Post has already reported the Yankees will look to add catching help at the deadline.
For his career, Jeffers owns a 109 OPS+, which is above league average. He hit a career-high 21 home runs in 2024, driving in 64 runs that season, which were also a career best. A lot of teams need more production out of the catcher spot, and Jeffers projects to be the best option available at the deadline, unless the Orioles decide to listen on Adley Rutschman, as Miller also noted in his piece.
The MLB trade deadline is not until the first week of August, so the Twins have plenty of time to figure out their exact direction this year. But with Cleveland looking to be a tier above the rest in the Central, and the White Sox also taking a big step forward this season, the Twins are pretty comfortably third in that division despite still being relatively in the mix.
That can certainly change before August, and if it does, keep an eye on the availability of Jeffers.
Continue reading...
