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Minnesota Twins Give Ryan Jeffers QO
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- Minnesota Twins Give Ryan Jeffers QO
The Major League Baseball offseason is in full swing after the Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series in franchise history. Prior to Monday's 4 p.m. CT deadline, the Minnesota Twins had to decide what they were going to do with their 40-man roster.
Quietly, they put reliever Jack Anderson on waivers, and it cost them his services . The 26-year-old righty reliever was claimed by Derek Falvey and the New York Mets , dashing the Twins' hopes to sneak him off the 40-man roster.
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However, the most notable move of the day was always going to revolve around catcher Ryan Jeffers, who was set to hit the open market unless he received a qualifying offer from the MN Twins.
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Ryan Jeffers in line for a MN Twins payday
This free agent class is not highly regarded as a whole, and as is typically the case, there aren't many options at the catcher position. Ryan Jeffers would undoubtedly be the best of the bunch. But now, he's going to cost an acquiring team draft pick compensation.
The following eight players have received @MLB qualifying offers: Randy Arozarena, SEAJake Bauers, MILDavid Bednar, NYYRyan Jeffers, MINBrandon Lowe, PITAdrian Morejon, SDTrevor Rogers, BALSeiya Suzuki, CHC
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 2, 2026
Related: Minnesota Twins Let Slugger Walk
If Jeffers stays on the qualifying offer, he will make $23.15 million for 2027. That number represents the average of the 125 highest-paid players across the sport. Jeffers will now have until November 17 at 3 p.m. CT to accept or reject the offer.
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His interest in signing for that amount will hinge entirely on whether or not he believes a more lucrative multi-year deal awaits him in free agency. Jeffers, who is open to a return to Minnesota , will be 30 next season and is coming off a year in which he batted .256 with an .814 OPS .
Jeffers had some big moments in 2026, including a game-tying grand slam against the Mets in April.
Game-tying grand slam, Ryan Jeffers.All righty then.Mets 7, Twins 7, top eight. https://t.co/GqDTo0Byoo
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 24, 2026
Jeffers' 127 OPS+ was a career-high, and he looked destined for his first All-Star nod before suffering a broken hamate bone . He wasn't quite the same guy after he returned.
In 55 games after returning from the injury, he batted .231 with a .727 OPS and posted a rather abysmal .182 average and .595 OPS across 18 games in September. It's typical for a hamate injury to sap a player's power for the rest of that season, but the timing couldn't have been worse for Jeffers, entering such an important offseason.
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Are MN Twins actually going to pay Jeffers?
What happens to Jeffers from here remains a mystery for now. The Twins would be on the hook to pay one player virtually one-fourth of what their entire outlay was a season ago. Given the need to expand payroll, that shouldn't matter. Extending the offer in and of itself is a good sign .
Still, it's most likely Jeffers rejects the qualifying offer and looks for a longer-term deal elsewhere. Even at 30 years old, he still has significant value in the short term. A two- or three-year deal in the $50-60 million range seems pretty sensible.
Should Jeffers sign with a new team, the Minnesota Twins will be in line for draft pick compensation. Where that pick lands depends on who signs him. Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll and his front office may be waiting a while to find out what that looks like.
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Of course, Jeffers could also wind up back with the organization after entering free agency. Minnesota wouldn't forfeit a pick but wouldn't gain one in that situation either.
