One Way Tom Pohlad Could Back Up His Words? Extend Ryan Jeffers

Since replacing his brother as the Twins' controlling owner last December, Tom Pohlad has talked a surprisingly big game. So far, his messaging has yet to be backed up by much real substance.

Before this season began, Pohlad insisted the Twins would be competitive in 2026, despite the oddsmakers and projections suggesting that was unlikely. They've gone 18-23 through a quarter of the season, a 71-win pace that is basically in line with external preseason expectations. The primary thing currently keeping them in the playoff hunt is the remarkably mediocre state of the AL Central.

Pohlad has also talked about being aggressive in pursuing upgrades to the roster if they make sense. Nothing along those lines has happened. The Twins were mentioned as having interest in high-profile starting pitchers like Freddy Peralta, MacKenzie Gore, and Framber Valdez this offseason, but such rumors are utterly meaningless until proven otherwise.

Here's a suggestion for Pohlad. One way to put your money where your mouth is and truly demonstrate your commitment to winning would be to sign catcher Ryan Jeffers to a multi-year contract extension well before the trade deadline in a few months.

Jeffers has been one of the Twins' best players thus far and one of the best offensive catchers in the league. He's in his final year of arbitration and is a pending free agent, which would make him a logical trade target for contenders if the Twins' season doesn't improve.

But catchers who can hit like Jeffers aren't easy to find, and Minnesota's top catching prospect, Eduardo Tait, is still 19 years old and several years away from the big leagues. Jeffers, who turns 29 next month, could be a big part of the Twins' future if they can find a way to keep him around. There may be a path to Minnesota becoming competitive in the next couple years as their wave of prospect talent at Triple-A makes its way into the majors.

After a slow start at the plate in his first few seasons, Jeffers has been a firmly above-average offensive catcher for several years now. He was great in 2023 with a 133 OPS+ and solid in each of the last two seasons (103 and 108). Early this year, he's gone to another level.

Jeffers has played in 31 of the Twins' 41 games and has 125 plate appearances. He's slashed .298/.403/.519 (.922 OPS) with five home runs and 23 RBI. He has almost as many walks (18) as strikeouts (22). Jeffers is walking a lot, making good swing decisions, and combining contact volume with quality of contact.

Among 23 catchers with at least 100 plate appearances this season, Jeffers ranks fourth in OPS. Among 236 total players with 100 PAs, his OPS ranks 19th. He's been raking.

Jeffers' value isn't entirely about his offense, either. He hasn't graded particularly well as a defensive catcher when it comes to blocking or throwing out base stealers, but he's a good pitch framer who has also shined in an area of the game that's new in 2026: ABS challenges. Jeffers is 21-12 on challenges behind the plate, including a league-high 12 strikeouts resulting from a challenge. No one else has more than eight of those.

The question, of course, is what it might cost to get Jeffers and his high-profile agent, Scott Boras, to sign off on an extension. Looking at the top catcher contracts in the league, something in the range of $12-13 million per year over three or four years could make sense. That would give Jeffers some real financial security while keeping him in Minnesota as a bridge into the potential Tait era.

Who knows what the interest might be from Jeffers' side. Maybe he'd prefer to hit free agency this winter and test the open market, perhaps following a trade this summer.

But from the Twins' standpoint, if they're willing to spend the money, pursuing a Jeffers extension makes all kinds of sense — both as a baseball move and a tangible example of the commitment Pohlad has talked about.

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