Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Top 15 Free Agent Catchers Available

The Minnesota Twins are facing a tough challenge ahead of the 2023 season. After the 2022 season went awry, fans are angry, and the roster has some pretty major holes. In order to fix things, the team needs to spend, and after seeing nine players entering the free agent pool, there’s lots of money to work with.

In addition to some potential trade moves (the Twins have a lot of decent talent in the high minors), the Twins could use help everywhere other than second base, whether that be another catcher to pair with Ryan Jeffers, a true first baseman, a legit third baseman to non-tender Gio Urshela, any of the outfield spots (Buck needs a backup), or more pitching.

We rank the Top 15 catchers for the Minnesota Twins to go after in Free Agency.

With all of those needs in mind and free agency about to begin, it’s time to break down the different players that they can spend money on. We’ll go position by position, talk strengths and weaknesses, whether the Twins would be interested, and if there’s a real chance.

For each list, we’ll be breaking down the positions into three groups: decent players who would be disappointments, good players who would fill the need, and top notch players that fans would be thrilled to get. We’ll start this process by going behind the plate.

Catcher is a definitive position of need for the Twins, as the team can’t go into the year with Jeffers alone. Alex Isola shows some promise, but he’s not the answer to start the season. He needs a little more seasoning at Triple-A, so the team has to go get a veteran. Let’s get started.

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Catchers: No. 8-5

• No. 8: Gary Sanchez (R)
• No. 7: Tucker Barnhart (L)
• No. 6: Roberto Perez (R)
• No. 5: Curt Casali (R)

This next tier of options are all better than the bottom tier, but they’re still not good enough to even be true upgrades over Ryan Jeffers for the most part. They’ll serve as good platoon partners, and that may be just what the Minnesota Twins are looking for.

If the Twins were to sign one any of these backstops, it would cost a little more than the backups, but it still wouldn’t break the bank and would allow them to spend elsewhere. It would be a very mediocre move that wouldn’t make the team much better or much worse.

Gary Sanchez was not very good in 2022, but a reunion with the Twins in 2023 would give the team another decent offensive catcher with upside (even if there’s little there defensively). Plus, a return seems unlikely. Tucker Barnhart is the anti-Sanchez, as he would offer a major defensive upgrade and offers a left-handed bat for a platoon, but he gives nothing else offensively.

For Roberto Perez, a two-time Gold Glove award winner, he looked very solid in 21 games offensively in Pittsburgh last year and would offer some defensive ability if he could stay healthy. Curt Casali would classify as a major upgrade though. Casali is a decent defender and he posted a .793 OPS from 2017-2020. Even if he can’t replicate that, he’s a very solid catcher.

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Catchers: No. 4-1

• No. 4: Mike Zunino (R)
• No. 3: Christian Vazquez (R)
• No. 2: Omar Vazquez (L)
• No. 1: Willson Contreras (R)

This group of catchers should all be cause for a lot of excitement if the Twins were to add them. Most of them aren’t superstars, but they’d represent a big upgrade and potentially take the main catching job from Ryan Jeffers.

The first name in this group is Mike Zunino. Zunino is coming off an awful 2022, but has shown some serious ability on the offensive side of things, posting four 20-homer seasons. He’s not quite as good defensively, but with his offensive ability and Jeffers’ framing skills, the Twins would have a very good duo in 2023.

Christian Vazquez is a very solid option that might offer a little more predictability and better defensive skills than Zunino. Plus, a two-time champion might help light a fire under some of the Twins’ young players.

As good as the others may be, Omar Narvaez is the most ideal player on this list for the Twins. The 2021 All-Star would be a perfect fit in Minnesota, as the left-handed batter would compliment Ryan Jeffers perfectly, even if his defense could use some work. He wouldn’t take up too much money either, making it possible for the team to spend elsewhere (like bullpen and shortstop).

The obvious top catcher in free agency this year is Willson Contreras. Fresh off his third All-Star appearance, Contreras’ strong arm, power, and ability to get on base make him one of the three or four best catchers in the game.

The issue for Contreras would be his massive contract and draft pick the Twins would have to relinquish to get him. The team has several other major needs (again, bullpen and shortstop!!!), so even as the clear top free agent catcher, his arrival in Minnesota is unlikely.