The New York Yankees clearly had interest in Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers last summer. The Yankees obviously didn't acquire Jeffers. In fact, they didn't acquire an MLB catcher at all, sticking with struggling backstop Austin Wells. The Twins decided not to sell at the deadline, and instead added Jeff Hoffman, A.J. Minter and Dean Kremer. Ultimately, the Twins probably should've traded the catcher, as Minnesota didn't make the postseason and Jeffers is now a free agent.
Now that Jeffers is a free agent, the Yankees could target the backstop this offseason without surrendering any valuable players. However, the Yankees would likely have to give up draft pick compensation to sign Jeffers.
The Twins will very likely extend Jeffers the qualifying offer, which is $23.15 million. With the uncertainty surrounding the looming lockout, Jeffers may consider accepting the offer, but more likely than not, he will decline it and sign a multi-year deal on the free-agent market.
If Jeffers declines the qualifying offer and signs with a new team, that club will have to surrender draft pick compensation to the Twins.The New York Post's Joel Sherman said he doesn't see the Yankees "investing that kind of money and draft pick compensation" for Jeffers.
Will the Yankees pursue Ryan Jeffers in free agency to address the catcher position?
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) October 12, 2026
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Since the Yankees are one of the competitive balance tax payers, the club would have to give up $1 million in international bonus pool money, as well as their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2027 draft, to sign Jeffers. Unfortunately for Yankees fans, that may be too steep a price to pay for New York to add the star catcher.
Ryan Jeffers might consider accepting qualifying offer from Twins
Unfortunately for Jeffers, a qualifying offer may significantly affect his free-agent market. As a result, he may accept the offer even if he could make more on a multi-year deal. It would certainly be a gamble, but if he has a strong 2027 season, he would ultimately make more money by accepting the offer. He's unlikely to earn $23.15 million per year on a multi-year contract.
If Jeffers declines the qualifying offer, the Twins could still re-sign the backstop. Minnesota has several promising catching prospects, most notably 2026 No. 3 overall pick Vahn Lackey, but the team may still want to keep an established catcher like Jeffers long-term.
Jeffers regressed a bit after returning from his hamate bone fracture, but he still had a strong season, posting 2.6 fWAR and a .256/.353/.461 (128 wRC+) slash line with 14 home runs and 56 RBI over 92 games.
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