The Twins catcher had a big day in Sunday's win over Texas, and now he heads into free agency with the door still open.
Catcher Ryan Jeffers has only ever played for one organization as a pro, and Sunday at Target Field might have been his last game with the Minnesota Twins.
If it was, he played well in it, and he said afterward that a return is still on the table as he heads into free agency.
Jeffers Went Out on a High Note
The Twins beat the Texas Rangers 6-4 to finish the season at 77-85, good for third place in the American League Central.
Jeffers caught all nine innings and went 2-for-3 with a walk, and that walk came with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to bring home center fielder Walker Jenkins.
Designated hitter Josh Bell hit a two-run homer in the third to put Minnesota ahead 3-1, and first baseman Royce Lewis added a solo homer in the eighth.
Pitcher Dean Kremer gave up one run on three hits over seven innings.
Jeffers Wants to See What Comes Next
This was a good year for Jeffers even with a long break in the middle.
He went on the injured list in May with a broken left hamate bone and did not come back until July, but he still hit .256 with a .353 on-base percentage, 14 homers and 56 RBI in 92 games.
The Twins drafted him out of UNC Wilmington in 2018, and he has 82 career homers since his debut in August 2020.
He talked about his future after the game, and he did not rule anything out.
"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," Jeffers said.
Manager Derek Shelton said nobody knows what will happen, but he added that if this was Jeffers' last game as a Twin, he was proud of the way he went out.
The Twins Should Push to Keep Him
MLB.com's Matthew Leach wrote that Jeffers is easily the most desirable free agent catcher available, and the Twins should be in that bidding.
The team already moved on from catcher Alex Jackson in September, and MLB.com wrote that losing Jeffers would leave a huge hole behind the plate, in the clubhouse and in the lineup.
There is also a lot of young talent coming, from Jenkins, who earned praise from Shelton in San Francisco last week, to right fielder Luke Keaschall, who scored three runs on Sunday.
A steady catcher who knows the pitching staff would help those players grow, and Jeffers has been that guy for years.
The Associated Press noted that this season was a seven-win improvement in Shelton's first year, and MLB.com reported that the Twins will likely look to add to the bullpen this winter.
Bell, who has put together a strong season of his own, has been another steady bat in the middle of the order.
Keeping Jeffers should be near the top of that list, because finding another catcher like him will not be easy, and Jeffers said himself that the chapter here has not closed.
