The Twins continue to play just well enough to be on the cusp of playoff contention. Minnesota is 50-53 on the season following last night’s 10-6 win over the Guardians. That places them five games back in the AL Central and just three back in the American League Wild Card hunt. Their schedule over the next week is quite light. They’ll hope to top Cleveland in a potential pitchers’ duel today (Taj Bradley vs. Gavin Williams), and the Twins then come home to host two of the American League’s worst teams — the A’s and Royals — over the next six games. Kansas City placed star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. on the injured list yesterday; he’ll miss that series in Minnesota.
Even as the Twins flirt with contention, they have several players on the big league roster who stand as viable trade candidates. As I noted in our Twins Trade Deadline Outlook, Minnesota could move impending free agent catcher Ryan Jeffers and for prospects and/or big league bullpen help while turning catching duties over to veteran Victor Caratini, who’s signed through 2027. Similarly, outfielder/designated hitter Trevor Larnach could be traded and replaced in the lineup by any number of lefty-swinging corner outfielders (e.g. Alan Roden, Matt Wallner, or even top prospect Walker Jenkins).
Regarding Jeffers, Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune reported last night that there’s a “growing sense” among other clubs that Jeffers will be available even if the Twins aren’t planning to be pure sellers. Caratini started the season slow but took off at the plate when he was thrust into a more consistent role behind the dish while Jeffers spent nearly two months on the shelf with a hamate fracture. Dating back to May 20, the switch-hitting Caratini has slashed .273/.344/.470 with six homers, eight doubles, a 9.3% walk rate and an 18.5% strikeout rate in 151 plate appearances. Minnesota also has journeyman Alex Jackson on the roster as a defensively sound backup option.
The Jeffers situation in Minnesota isn’t entirely unfamiliar this time of year. Borderline teams always have tough calls to make on impending free agents. There are benefits to keeping the player and making a push for the playoffs, of course, but there’s also the temptation and even a feeling of obligation to get a return for a quality veteran rather than letting him walk for nothing. Jeffers is a possible qualifying offer candidate, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported recently that the Twins have considered making a QO.
Jeffers’ broader track record might not stand out in making him an obvious QO candidate, but he’s elevated his already solid offensive reputation this year. In 171 plate appearances, Jeffers has batted .287/.398/.552 — a whopping 64% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+. He’s belted nine homers in 43 games and posted a massive 15.6% walk rate that equals a career-low 15.6% strikeout rate. Jeffers had already been one of the most productive offensive catchers in the game over the past few years. Dating back to 2023, he’s a .257/.345/.447 hitter (122 wRC+). The league-average catcher this season is hitting .229/.304/.380 (89 wRC+).
Extending a QO that MLBTR estimates to be worth just over $23MM would be a risk, but Jeffers hasn’t missed a beat since returning from hamate surgery (5-for-21, two homers, two doubles, three walks, three strikeouts). He won’t turn 30 until next June. He’s going to reach free agency as a candidate for a nice multi-year deal.
If Jeffers and agent Scott Boras feel a four-year deal could be out there, then rejecting the QO makes sense. Even if he were to accept, Jeffers is a good bet to post at least two WAR, and his current offensive pace would have him tracking toward a season of more than four WAR (were it not for that lengthy injury absence). A $23MM commitment for one year isn’t necessarily bad value, but it’d eat up a big chunk of a Twins payroll that sat north of $150MM back in 2023 but has been pared back to just $101MM in 2026 (as can be seen in our new Payroll Tracker).
Larnach’s situation isn’t a direct parallel, but he’s another current big league contributor who could be traded simply because of organizational depth at his position. The 29-year-old former top prospect is enjoying a career-best performance at the plate, batting .294/.383/.461. He’s only hit eight homers, but Larnach’s 19 doubles have him well on his way to a new career-high. He’s walking at a big 11.7% clip and also enjoying a career-low 17.2% strikeout rate. He’s in obvious need of a platoon partner, evidenced by a .152/.263/.333 showing in 39 plate appearances against lefties, but you won’t find many better lines against right-handed pitching on this year’s trade market than Larnach’s .314/.400/.479.
Both Nightengale and Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggest that Larnach could change hands even if the Twins aim to remain competitive in 2026. Hayes writes that the Rays, in particular, have been scouting the Twins heavily as of late. Either Jeffers or Larnach — possibly both — make good sense as lineup upgrades in Tampa Bay.
Larnach is playing the 2026 season on a relatively modest $4.475MM salary. He’s controlled one more year via arbitration. He looked like a non-tender candidate to many last winter — MLBTR included — on the heels of a poor 2025 showing. The Twins deserve credit for making what was clearly the right call in tendering him a contract. He could now fetch some meaningful bullpen help and/or some prospects to further stock a strong farm system.
If Minnesota were to move Larnach, they could recall Wallner from Triple-A in his place. A fellow lefty-swinging corner bat, Wallner was Minnesota’s regular right fielder for each of the past two seasons but was optioned in May after a brutal .167/.259/.292 start. Since being sent down, Wallner has raked: .271/.368/.558, 16 homers in 231 plate appearances. The Twins could also give the aforementioned Roden (acquired in last year’s Louis Varland trade) a real look. He hit .285/.424/.540 in Triple-A this year but has only received 30 plate appearances since being promoted in early July. Jenkins, the No. 5 overall pick in 2023, is a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport and has torched Triple-A pitching at a .300/.397/.494 clip.
