Ryan Jeffers is currently on the injured list, but he is still a massive presence hovering over the Minnesota Twins. On pace for a career season in the final year of team control, Jeffers is set to cash in during the offseason and it reportedly makes him “the perfect trade candidate” for the New York Yankees according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.
“Either Austin Wells has to hit or they have to go and make a deal, do something. But that part of the team has to improve. They just can’t have a zero offensively in that spot,” Olney said during a radio hit on ESPN New York on Wednesday. “I think the perfect trade candidate for the Yankees this summer is going to be Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins.”
Stuck in a right-sized payroll situation, it would make sense to get a haul from the Yankees as opposed to letting Jeffers walk for nothing in free agency next winter. But it also would be counterproductive, which should give them a reason to resist the urge to dump Jeffers in the Bronx this summer.
The Yankees are not the Twins’ perfect trade partner for Ryan Jeffers
The Yankees’ interest in Jeffers stems from their struggles at the catcher position. Wells is hitting .165/.287/.252 with three homers and five RBI in 115 at-bats this season and backup J.C. Escarra isn’t faring much better with a .157/.214/.255 slash line with no homers and seven RBI in 51 at-bats.
A team that is always in “win now” mode, the Yankees will be aggressive to fill this hole by July’s trade deadline and Jeffers makes a lot of sense. Before suffering a broken hamate bone in his right wrist this week, Jeffers posted career-highs across the board, hitting .295/.408/.541 with seven homers and 26 RBI in 122 at-bats. Jeffers also has a career-high 15.5% walk rate and a career-low 15.5% strikeout rate according to Baseball Savant and has been serviceable enough behind the plate to be the Twins’ primary catcher.
Jeffers’s power is also a main attraction considering the short fences at Yankee Stadium and it’s possible New York would overpay to solve their issues. However, there is a reason for pause.
For starters, the Yankees’ farm system ranked 26th in MLB.com’s organizational rankings at the start of the 2026 season. While some combination of infielder George Lombard Jr., shortstop Dax Kilby and pitchers Carolos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez could be part of a package for Jeffers, it may not be enough value in return compared to if the Twins just signed him to an extension.
That’s because the Twins' depth at catcher is a troubling situation. Victor Caratini is currently filling in for Jeffers as he recovers from injury and is signed through the 2027 season. But he has been a free-agent disappointment, hitting .198/.304/.261 with two homers and 16 RBI in 111 at-bats.
Eduardo Tait, who came to Minnesota in the Jhoan Duran trade last summer, is another option to fill in for Jeffers. But while he’s the No. 3 prospect in the organization, MLB Pipeline projects an estimated major league debut in 2028. The 19-year-old is also hitting .221/.311/.429 with seven homers and 23 RBI in 140 at-bats for High-A Cedar Rapids, suggesting there’s some development to be done before he reaches the Twin Cities.
The Twins could also select Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey with the third overall pick in July’s entry draft as a long-term replacement for Jeffers. But a best-case scenario would see him make his major league debut in the middle of the 2027 season.
This would leave a massive void for the Twins behind the plate. Even if they’ve decided they’re trading Jeffers, the Yankees farm system would be unlikely to give them the best deal. It’s a situation that could lead the Twins to pigeonhole themselves if they deem the Yankees as the best destination and could hurt Minnesota both in the short and long term.
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