The Minnesota Twins have a decision to make regarding Ryan Jeffers. Do they extend him the qualifying offer? If he declines it, does Minnesota bring him back on a multi-year deal?
Let's focus on the qualifying offer question, because that's what needs to be addressed first this offseason.
An organization can give a QO to one of its impending free agents if the player has never received a QO in his career and spent the entire season on the team. The QO is a one-year deal that is the average of the salaries of the 125 highest-paid players in MLB. According to the New York Post's Joel Sherman, the QO this offseason will be $23.15 million.
There are 2 major reasons the Twins should extend the qualifying offer to Ryan Jeffers
First, Victor Caratini will be the only catcher on Minnesota's 40-man roster entering the offseason. The Twins have several promising catching prospects, most notably 2026 third-overall pick Vahn Lackey, but none appear ready to make the jump to the big leagues on 2027 Opening Day. Even though $23.15 million would be a hefty price to pay for one year of Jeffers, it would be worth it for Minnesota to keep him for one more year. Then Lackey or another catching prospect should be ready for the big leagues in 2028.
Second, if Jeffers declines the QO, which is the most likely outcome, the Twins would receive a compensatory draft pick if he signs with another team.
As a revenue-sharing recipient, the Twins would receive a compensatory pick after the first round of next year's draft if Jeffers declines a QO and signs elsewhere for $50+ million. If Jeffers declines a QO and signs with another team for less than $50 million, Minnesota would receive a draft pick between Competitive Balance Round B and the beginning of the third round, likely around the 70th-75th overall pick.
If Jeffers declines the QO, he should be able to secure a multi-year deal worth at least $50 million.
While Jeffers, who posted 2.6 fWAR in 92 games this year, would likely decline a QO to sign a multi-year deal, he could accept it. Most players decline the offer, but Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham surprised everyone by accepting it last offseason. If Jeffers feels confident he can have another strong season, he might accept it and then hit free agency in the 2027-28 offseason.
The Twins could also consider signing Jeffers to a multi-year deal this offseason. However, with the abundance of young catching talent in the organization, the team's brass may want to allocate its payroll elsewhere.
Add us as a preferred source on Google