Jeremy Zoll Explains Twins' Approach With Catcher Ryan Jeffers

A one-year offer worth $23.15 million is sitting in front of free-agent catcher Ryan Jeffers, but the Minnesota Twins are not treating it as the only way to bring him back.

General manager Jeremy Zoll said at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas this week that the club is still talking with Jeffers about other terms while he looks around the league.

The Twins made Jeffers the qualifying offer on Nov. 2, and he has until Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m. ET to accept or decline it.

If he signs with another team, Minnesota will get a compensatory pick in the 2027 MLB Draft.

"Ryan earned the right to become a free agent, explore the market, and I want to give him that respect," Zoll said in comments published this week.

He added that the two sides are in touch and that the Twins have told Jeffers they would love to have him back, either on the qualifying offer or under other terms.

Twins Daily reported that the team does not feel the need to wait until Nov. 17 to have those talks.

Catcher Victor Caratini is the only catcher on the 40-man roster, and he hit .220 with seven home runs and a .627 OPS in 106 games in 2026.

Jeffers hit .256 with 14 home runs and an .814 OPS in 92 games, even though he went on the injured list in May with a fractured left hamate bone and was not activated until July 10.

Catcher Vahn Lackey was the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft, and he is a big part of the team's catching future, but MLB.com reported that he probably will not be ready before 2028.

MLB.com also wrote that Jeffers is generally considered the top free-agent catcher in a thin market, which is why his decision on the qualifying offer means so much to this team.

Minnesota finished 77-85 and third in the American League Central, so the Twins need to add good players instead of losing one.

MLB.com reported that club chairman Tom Pohlad intends to raise payroll for 2027, but the same report noted that Jeffers will likely cost a very large amount and that the team also wants bullpen help and a power bat.

Spending big on one player is a risk with that many needs, but letting the top catcher on the market leave for a draft pick is a bigger one.

The club has other things to sort out this winter, with center fielder Byron Buxton recovering from right hip surgery and left fielder Trevor Larnach set for left wrist surgery on Friday, but there is still a strong argument for making Jeffers the top priority.

Zoll is handling this the right way, because he is letting Jeffers look around while still staying in contact.

I think the Twins should work out a longer deal with Jeffers before Nov. 17, because a team with one catcher on its 40-man roster and Lackey not expected before 2028 cannot afford to start over at the position.