The Minnesota Twins dropped two of three games to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field this past weekend. The Twins are still in the playoff hunt, but losing the Cubs series certainly increases the odds of the team selling at the Aug. 3 deadline, with catcher Ryan Jeffers one of the club's top trade candidates.
The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays have made it no secret that they're interested in acquiring Jeffers. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, scouts from the Yankees and Rays were at Wrigley Field this past weekend to "closely watch" Jeffers.
Minnesota won Game 1 of the three-game set at Wrigley before dropping Games 2 and 3. After losing back-to-back games vs. the Cubs, the Twins' record dropped to 49-51. They held the third American League Wild Card spot after Friday's win, but are now two games back of the Boston Red Sox, who have shocked the baseball world by winning 13-straight games.
As for the American League Central standings, Minnesota trails the Chicago White Sox by four games for first place in the division.
Minnesota is facing a critical stretch of games over the next couple of weeks. If the Twins perform well and stay in the postseason race, then it's doubtful the team will sell. But if they struggle over the next two weeks, there's a strong possibility the team will trade several key players including Jeffers, who has slashed .288/.401/.540 (162 wRC+) in 42 games this year.
Ryan Jeffers powers the @Twins ahead with a 3-run homer 😤 pic.twitter.com/4WCXZ2LgE1
— MLB (@MLB) July 18, 2026
Should the Twins keep or trade Ryan Jeffers?
Jeffers is set to be a free agent at the end of this year. After selecting Georgia Tech backstop Vahn Lackey with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, Minnesota doesn't appear to plan to re-sign Jeffers. Therefore, if the Twins fall out of contention before the trade deadline, dealing Jeffers is a no-brainer.
Some would argue that even if the Twins are in postseason contention at the deadline, the team should still trade Jeffers. Minnesota certainly could sneak into the postseason and maybe even make a deep run, but it's doubtful the club could win the World Series this year.
However, the Twins would receive a compensatory draft pick by keeping Jeffers through this season and extending him the qualifying offer (unless they re-sign him). So, if the Twins perform well over the next couple of weeks, they should keep Jeffers. If they collapse, they should trade him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google