What's Next For the Twins After Ryan Jeffers Declines Qualifying Offer

Former Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers made the obvious decision to decline his one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer, according to Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune.

However, Jeffers' choice to test out the free agent market now leaves the Twins with an important question to answer--who will be their starting catcher for 2027?

Re-signing Jeffers should be a priority for general manager Jeremy Zoll given the impressive year that he had. Jeffers slashed .256/.353/.461 and showed his excellent eye for the strike zone, winning 66 of the 108 ABS challenges he initiated this year.

Catchers who can both hit and come out on top in high-leverage situations are difficult to come by, so Minnesota cannot afford to lose Jeffers without at least making him a competitive offer.

Still, signing the 29-year-old Jeffers to a contract longer than three or four years could hamstring the organization and make addressing other needs on their roster like bullpen depth more complicated. As a result, I would definitely bring back Jeffers if it were for the right price.

Should Jeffers take his talents elsewhere, veteran Victor Caratini will be the next in line to take his spot. Caratini batted .220 while driving in 44 runs and owning a .627 OPS this year. He also launched seven homers. 

Although his production at the plate wasn't the most inspiring, Caratini ranked in the 73rd percentile for blocks above average and in the 68th percentile for framing, demonstrating his ability to prevent balls from reaching the backstop and land strike calls in favor of his pitchers.

Besides Caratini, Minnesota could also turn to first-round draft pick Vahn Lackey who they selected out of Georgia Tech this summer. The 21-year-old hit 20 home runs during his final season as a Yellow Jacket while striking out just 13.4% of the time and owning a 17.7% walk rate.

Lackey's impressive plate discipline has translated to minor-league ball so far as he was promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids in late August. Nonetheless, his .204 hitting average in Fort Myers is something he'll need to improve on to boost his chances of eventually cracking the Twins' main roster.

Keeping Jeffers is certainly the preferable outcome for Minnesota as he'll be the most sought-after catcher this offseason, but the Twins have a capable backup in Caratini who will enter next season having already built chemistry with most of the pitching staff.