Royce Lewis is the #walkoff<\/a> hero for the Twins! pic.twitter.com\/7V9Z03jFEy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n After last night’s victory, the Twins moved to just half a game back of the Guardians for the final American League Wild Card spot and two games behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central with a 54-54 record.<\/p>\n Before Tuesday night’s victory, Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll made it clear the Twins will be buyers<\/a>, not sellers, ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re really excited about how the team has played over this last stretch. We’re really encouraged about that,\u201d Zoll said to reporters, including MLB.com’s Matthew Leach<\/a>. \u201cIn turn, we’re going to use this next stretch, this next week, to do everything we can to find ways to improve the club and continue to execute on that goal and make it a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Twins appear set to keep Ryan Jeffers for the rest of the season<\/p>\n Even if the Twins are positioned as buyers, there are reasons to believe trading star catcher Ryan Jeffers would be a wise decision<\/a> for the club. He is in the final year of his contract, and several top contenders are seeking to add catching help, meaning a team may overpay for the Twins backstop. Not to mention, Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson have both been swinging the bat well lately.<\/p>\n However, Jeffers is easily one of the best hitters in the Twins’ lineup with a 160 wRC+, and Minnesota could still get value from him if\/when he leaves the club in free agency this offseason. By extending Jeffers the qualifying offer at the end of the season, Minnesota would receive a compensatory draft pick if he signs with another team.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of individual speculation, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s particularly productive to work through all that,\u201d Zoll said. \u201cBut what I\u2019ll say is on Ryan [Jeffers] specifically, he\u2019s had an awesome year. We\u2019re really excited about where he\u2019s at, and looking forward to doing everything we can to keep the group together and put us in the best spot to keep pushing ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Zoll is clearly thinking about winning this year. While trading Jeffers wouldn’t be detrimental to the team’s postseason chances, especially if they receive MLB-ready pitching in exchange for the catcher, he has been a key part of the offense when healthy and is likely important to the clubhouse chemistry.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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