On Friday afternoon, it was announced that the Minnesota Twins have a 2-year, $14 million agreement with catcher and first baseman Victor Caratini. With the way the team has postured its own spending limitations this offseason, it seems like a very strange move given they already had two major-league catchers on the roster. 

What could be next for the Twins after the signing of Caratini?

1. Incoming Jeffers trade?
Ryan Jeffers’s name has already been in the trade rumor mill. With Caratini’s $14 million over the next two years added to the payroll, it seems hard to find a way that Jeffers’s $6.7 million this year makes sense, or if any extensions for him are possible. A trade involving Jeffers already seemed very plausible, and Caratini’s addition only seems to add to that reality. 

Most recently, Jeffers was linked to the Philadelphia Phillies, but with the return of J.T. Realmuto, that connection is no longer possible. Teams like the San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, and Pittsburgh Pirates are teams that have been linked to catchers this offseason. Jeffers would represent a solid addition for any team looking for catching help at an affordable salary.  

If the Twins were to move on from Jeffers, that would put the club back essentially in the same place they were, payroll-wise, for 2026, while holding control of Caratini for one more year than they have control of Jeffers. A trade would also provide the opportunity for the Twins to acquire a significant player(s) to either help with infield defensive needs or the bullpen. 

2. Is Jeffers viewed as a bat now?
If a trade is not in the works, Jeffers has been one of the Twins most impactful bats during his tenure. The addition of another catcher that the Twins feel confident in starting frees the right-handed Jeffers up to escape the physical demands of being the Twins starting catcher for 120+ games. Instead, Caratini would allow Jeffers to return to a similar catching load as he had when paired with Christian Vazquez. Possibly even less, with Alex Jackson also currently in the mix. 

It would be an interesting rotation to navigate, but with as much as the Twins struggled on offense last season, maximizing one of your best bats could yield good results for the club. Jeffers ended 2025 with a 113 wRC+ and a .752 OPS. The only current Twins that finished ahead of him in those stat categories are Byron Buxton, Luke Keaschall, and Matt Wallner. 

If Jeffers is viewed as having more value as a bat than as a catcher, getting him in the lineup more often becomes that much more important. Jeffers played in 119 games last season, and rotating him more often as a first baseman or DH would get him closer to playing 162 games and maximizing the value of his bat. Which inevitably means more first base or DH play. This also pushes Kody Clemens down the depth chart, allowing him to be an effective role player instead of a stretched starter if he makes the roster. 

In this view of Jeffers, Caratini now becomes the primary catcher defensively. At the plate, he would provide similar offensive stats and not a huge drop off with a 104 wRC+ and .728 OPS in 2025. Defensively, he has been rated very similarly to Jeffers. One area in which he is superior to Jeffers is in Baseball Savant’s blocks above average. His 4 blocks above average ranks him 15th amongst MLB catchers. 

3. Jackson, the odd man out? 
It is possible that the first two points are simply applying too much complexity to the move. Jackson was the waterline move that the front office made early on in the offseason to make sure, in the worst-case scenario, they weren’t left without a backup catcher. Caratini now simply represents the upgrade, and Jackson, who is out of options, is now expendable. In that case, in the next several days, we may see if the Twins can find a suitor for Jackson or simply release him. From there, Caratini and Jeffers will share catching duties similarly to how Vazquez and Jeffers had done previously. 

As fans, we will certainly be waiting to see how Caratini fits into the overall roster construction plans for 2026. What do you believe is next for the Twins?Â