Could Ryan Jeffers Be Balm for San Diego Padres' Catching Woes?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © John Hefti-Imagn Images

As the 2025 trade deadline creeps closer, contending teams are scrambling to shore up weaknesses. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres have their sights set on upgrading one of the least productive catcher situations in baseball. With a barren market and Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers standing out as a rare difference-maker, could the Twins be tempted to make a bold move?

Padres in Catching Crisis Mode
The Padres entered the season with a veteran platoon of Elias Díaz and Martín Maldonado, but the results have been dismal. Through nearly 300 combined plate appearances, the pair has managed a meager .205/.268/.328 line and a 70 wRC+, ranking 27th among MLB teams in offensive production from their catchers.

That kind of performance won’t cut it for a club that hopes to stay in the thick of the NL Wild Card race. It's no surprise the Padres are shopping, but the options are scarce. Catchers who can contribute meaningfully with the bat are rare commodities, especially those with team control beyond this season. That’s where Jeffers comes in.

Jeffers's Emergence
Minnesota’s 28-year-old backstop has become one of the most consistent hitters at his position. In 69 games, he is slashing .231/.331/.376 with a 97 OPS+. Perhaps most importantly for interested teams, he's under team control through the 2026 season. His combination of offense, defense, and affordability would make Jeffers one of the most valuable catchers on the trade market, if the Twins are even willing to listen.

A High Price—and High Risk—for Minnesota
The idea of dealing Jeffers is far from straightforward. While they do have Christian Vázquez on the roster, he’s an impending free agent, and his offensive struggles have continued into 2025 (39 OPS+). The Twins’ Triple-A depth chart isn’t exactly stacked with MLB-ready options, either.

Five different players (Mickey Gasper, Jair Camargo, Patrick Winkel, Diego Cartaya, and Noah Cardenas) have started at least 13 games behind the plate for St. Paul this year. Of those, Gasper is the most intriguing bat, posting a second consecutive monster season in Triple-A (1.027 OPS). Still, the Twins have been reluctant to give him a look in the majors, reportedly due to questions about his defensive reliability. No one within the game thinks he can be more than a once-a-week option behind the plate in MLB.

One name to watch in the upper minors is Ricardo Olivar, who has quietly emerged as the Twins’ most intriguing long-term option behind the plate. The 23-year-old has spent the 2025 campaign at Double-A Wichita, showcasing a well-rounded offensive profile with solid contact skills and emerging power (114 wRC+). Defensively, Olivar has made steady strides as a receiver, and his athleticism gives him an edge over many of his catching peers. While he’s not yet viewed as a sure-fire everyday backstop, Olivar’s development trajectory puts him ahead of the pack in a system still sorting through a mix of glove-first veterans and bat-first question marks. If the Twins were to deal Jeffers, Olivar could factor into the future sooner than expected.

What Would It Take?
For the Padres to pry Jeffers away, they’d need to pay a premium: a combination of near-ready pitching and long-term upside. Many of San Diego's top prospects are in the lower minors, and the Twins might not want to wait out their development. However, San Diego’s system still boasts arms like Braden Nett or Henry Baez, and they could dangle someone like Tirso Ornelas as a big-league-ready outfielder. But the Twins aren’t likely to entertain the idea unless blown away by a multi-player package deal. Minnesota remains on the edges of the playoff picture themselves, and subtracting a key player mid-season runs counter to their recent approach (which has typically been to do nothing). 

It's worth noting, at least, that the Padres have been willing to pay a hefty price for controllable catching help in a similar position in the past. Five years ago, A.J. Preller traded four intriguing players (Ty France, Andrés Muñoz, Luis Torrens and Taylor Trammell) for late-blooming backstop Austin Nola and two relievers. It's the type of move that has made Preller famous and infamous, and as the 2022 trade involving Taylor Rogers, Emilio Pagán and Chris Paddack proves, Derek Falvey is among those who can match Preller's boldness when the mood strikes.

Jeffers may be precisely what the Padres need, but he's also a crucial part of Minnesota’s present and their lone catching option for 2026. If San Diego is serious about acquiring a catcher who can make an impact beyond this year, they’ll have to come to the table with a deal the Twins can’t refuse. Until then, Falvey and company are likely to keep their asking price sky-high. In a thin market, leverage is everything. And right now, the Twins have it.

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Should the Twins trade Jeffers? What kind of package would it take from the Padres? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[farmerguychris]

I'm sorry, but just NO.  

We have zero major league catchers in our system that are ready to play other than Jeffers.  This would be a horrible idea if we plan to compete in the next 2-3 years.  

[DJL44]

This only makes sense if the Twins acquire two other MLB-ready catchers.

[Craig Arko]

You seem really dedicated to helping other teams at the expense of the Twins. Maybe you should devote your time writing for those other teams.

[mikelink45]

I usually don't go on the speculation posts, but I saw this post and thought it was one of the humorous posts because it is too far from any of my realities.  Let's find a way to remove Vasquez and his zero bat and see if we can actually find the next catcher in the minors (no - not Gaspar).  

So far Cartaya and Camargo have not lived up to any promise and potential.  So next up.  Keep trying until we have some real quality, but don't get us in catcher purgatory.

[NYCTK]

27 minutes ago, farmerguychris said:

I'm sorry, but just NO.  

We have zero major league catchers in our system that are ready to play other than Jeffers.  This would be a horrible idea if we plan to compete in the next 2-3 years.  

Jeffers is a free agent after 2026. And many, like myself, think 2026 isn't really the next window of opportunity, instead looking towards 2027 at this point.

Obviously the Twins have an exclusive window to try to extend him, but that hasn't happened yet, and there's no guarantee that does happen. 

I keep thinking this with people on this site saying the Twins should extend Bader instead of all this talk of trading him. The players have agency and the Twins aren't necessarily their desired home. And why should it be, given the ownership situation leading to the apathetic fanbase and the, IMO, terrible leadership in the Front Office? 

[DJL44]

6 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Obviously the Twins have an exclusive window to try to extend him, but that hasn't happened yet, and there's no guarantee that does happen. 

IMO - the failure to extend Jeffers and Duran has been one of the biggest problems with the current front office.

[LA Vikes Fan]

First of all, I have to echo the other posters and say this is a really bad idea. Controllable catching is a very rare commodity. You wouldn't trade Jeffers if you intend to compete in the next 2-3 years. The message trading Jeffers sends is that the Twins are raising the white flag on 2025 AND 2026 at this year's deadline.  

Having said that, what about Noah Cardenas as the next man up in AAA? He's supposedly very strong defensively. He's also hitting some this year at both AA and AAA after admittedly a lousy 2024 at AA, following a strong 2023 in A+, with a .825 OPS in 100 ABs in AA and a .861 OPS so far in 40 ABs in AAA this year. I think he may be the future #2 catcher behind Jeffers next year, and wouldn't mind him getting an audition this year. 

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, DJL44 said:

IMO - the failure to extend Jeffers and Duran has been one of the biggest problems with the current front office.

Too expensive to extend Duran now. Jeffers, could go either way, but the allure of free agency is a strong one. Why sit around on a mediocre team when a team like the Phillies might throw something like 4yr/$60M your way? 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

16 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Jeffers is a free agent after 2026. And many, like myself, think 2026 isn't really the next window of opportunity, instead looking towards 2027 at this point.

Obviously the Twins have an exclusive window to try to extend him, but that hasn't happened yet, and there's no guarantee that does happen. 

I keep thinking this with people on this site saying the Twins should extend Bader instead of all this talk of trading him. The players have agency and the Twins aren't necessarily their desired home. And why should it be, given the ownership situation leading to the apathetic fanbase and the, IMO, terrible leadership in the Front Office? 

If the FO is terrible, why should we want them to trade assets away that have contracts past this year?

[Vanimal46]

1 minute ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

If the FO is terrible, why should we want them to trade assets away that have contracts past this year?

Bingo. That’s exactly where I’m at. A repeat of 2016 where we know change is on the horizon, and we didn’t want Terry Ryan/Rob Antony rocking the boat. We need a new set of eyes overseeing the organization and allow them to shape it as they see fit. 

[NYCTK]

5 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

The message trading Jeffers sends is that the Twins are raising the white flag on 2025 AND 2026 at this year's deadline.  

The thing is, given the state of the organization, this SHOULD be the signal.

And the fans are already acting accordingly. They drew under 18K on Saturday? That's pretty darn awful. 

[Mike Sixel]

16 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

IMO - the failure to extend Jeffers and Duran has been one of the biggest problems with the current front office.

Or, more likely, ownership. 

[NYCTK]

6 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

If the FO is terrible, why should we want them to trade assets away that have contracts past this year?

This question just makes no sense to me. It keeps getting repeated as if it's some sort of brilliant point. 

Sure, I don't like Falvey, but that doesn't mean I want to see the Twins just refuse to make any move at all for the remainder of his tenure, however long that might be. 

This organization already sucks, and trying to improve it is better than not trying to improve it. 

 

[LambchoP]

Catcher is our weakest position. You don't trade from your worst position unless we get a return of catching which is unlikely. Vasquez is gone this year meaning we need to either acquire or sign a MLB caliber catcher to pair with Jeffers next year. If we traded Jeffers we'd be looking for two catchers next year because as the article states it doesn't look like we have any legit catching options in the minors ATM.....

[NYCTK]

49 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

If the FO is terrible, why should we want them to trade assets away that have contracts past this year?

Here's an example from my primary team, the Mets. 

Billy Eppler wasn't viewed real great as a front office executive by Mets fans. The 2023 season was a complete disaster and everyone knew that Steve Cohen was eyeing the hiring of David Stearns in the offseason.

Come late June the lame duck GM nonetheless started selling off players, trading away 7 players, including some high payroll players with multiple years remaining. In return he was able to acquire a prospect that was then flipped for their current CF, their #1 Setup man, and #6, #9, #10, #13, #25 prospects in addition to the previous years #3 prospect that's been fairly effective as a sparkplug utility man.  

If you're going to sell, sell with purpose. 

[harmlessharmon]

The only way to make a playoff run is with lights out pitchers, including 3 excellent starters.  The Twins will NEVER have money for that unless they get lucky with a few pitchers developing at the same time out of a bunch of good prospects.  I say make above-value trades now for the best pitching prospects they can get.  One or 2 of our catcher prospects will work out.   Otherwise it's limp along, maybe make the playoffs now and then and get beat right away.  Good pitching trump's good hitting, always has always will.

[LA Vikes Fan]

Well put NYCTK. The Twins should be in "purposeful selling" mode with their rental players unless they can re-sign them - Castro, Bader, Coloumbe, and Paddack all have some value, and Stewart may. Also, maybe we could get an A or A+ guy for one of or some combination of France, Topa, and Vasquez. 

My point is here is that we do have some tradable assets. NYCTK is right - don't trade just to trade or trade to get marginal vets, trade with a real purpose in mind. That purpose should be to get solid or better prospects. Be willing to go farther out (A or A+ ball) to get better players.  This FO has had more success trading vets for prospects than the other way around. Focus there.  

[tarheeltwinsfan]

27 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Here's an example from my primary team, the Mets. 

Billy Eppler wasn't viewed real great as a front office executive by Mets fans. The 2023 season was a complete disaster and everyone knew that Steve Cohen was eyeing the hiring of David Stearns in the offseason.

Come late June the lame duck GM nonetheless started selling off players, trading away 7 players, including some high payroll players with multiple years remaining. In return he was able to acquire the a prospect that was then flipped for their current CF, their #1 Setup man, and #6, #9, #10, #13, #25 prospects in addition to the previous years #3 prospect.  

If you're going to sell, sell with purpose. 

Your "primary team, the Mets"? What does that mean?

[NYCTK]

5 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Your "primary team, the Mets"? What does that mean?

Feel like it's pretty self explanatory. 

[Western SD Fan]

14 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Here's an example from my primary team, the Mets. 

Billy Eppler wasn't viewed real great as a front office executive by Mets fans. The 2023 season was a complete disaster and everyone knew that Steve Cohen was eyeing the hiring of David Stearns in the offseason.

Come late June the lame duck GM nonetheless started selling off players, trading away 7 players, including some high payroll players with multiple years remaining. In return he was able to acquire the a prospect that was then flipped for their current CF, their #1 Setup man, and #6, #9, #10, #13, #25 prospects in addition to the previous years #3 prospect.  

If you're going to sell, sell with purpose. 

I would argue that Cohen meddled too much in the construction of the team and Billy Eppler was trying his best to clean up the mess that he was told to assemble.  The Twins are not in the same situation as Falvey not only created the mess, but you're also asking Falvey to construct a better nucleus considering the current track record. 

Finally, the players the Mets traded that season had more value to contending teams than the Twins have, Verlander and Scherzer in particular AND paid $35M each to the Astros and Rangers for the privilege of taking those players off of the Mets's hands.  A similar transaction for the Twins would be if they could trade Correa and pay the other team to take him off their hands.  Do you see the Twins paying someone to take Correa?

[Fire Dan Gladden]

I must be desperate for something to read... I keep clicking on these articles that have a headline that feels like clickbait. As long as the team is "trying" to win and not selling off, Jeffers is about as untouchable as the Twins have.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

This question just makes no sense to me. It keeps getting repeated as if it's some sort of brilliant point. 

Sure, I don't like Falvey, but that doesn't mean I want to see the Twins just refuse to make any move at all for the remainder of his tenure, however long that might be. 

This organization already sucks, and trying to improve it is better than not trying to improve it. 

 

I’d like to see a trade for a good hitter, probably an expiring contract 1B, and optimism that Correa and Wallner snap out of their funks. If the team doesn’t make a post season push, then fire the FO and let the new FO make the long term decisions.

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

I’d like to see a trade for a good hitter, probably an expiring contract 1B, and optimism that Correa and Wallner snap out of their funks. If the team doesn’t make a post season push, then fire the FO and let the new FO make the long term decisions.

 You want the Twins to be buyers? Oh boy. OK. We'll just not agree on strategy then. 

[Doctor Gast]

I'm not a Jeffers hater as some may think. I'd love to re-sign Jeffers to a reasonable extension. But I have made some observations. #1 Boras is his agent & will leverage as much as he can out of the Twins where they can't afford him & #2 Jeffers is a weak-side tandem catcher: if we depend on him for primary catching role we'll be sorely disappointed.

I advocated trading Jeffers for 2 promising young MLB-ready catchers for years when his stock was high & we had Vazquez to mentor them. Now, IMO, it's not a good time. Jeffers's stock is low. The middle of the season is never a good time to bring in a new catcher. If we trade Jeffers, we have only Vazquez as a viable MLB catcher. 

I've also tagged BOS & SD as in desperate need of catching. But so is MN (IMO, catching is the Twins' greatest need), next year we have only one weak-side catching tandem (Jeffers) & nobody else. That's very poor planning. If I were the FO, I'd know right now if I could resign Jeffers or not. Since he has not resigned yet, I question whether he can be. So, where Jeffers's trade value is now, I'd rather not trade him, but we might not have a choice. The right choice might be to trade Jeffers & get what we can & somehow find the catchers we need in the process. & again, I don't trust Falvey to be able to do that. So we are going to be in a very difficult situation at catching next year as I predicted years ago.

[mickster]

1 hour ago, LambchoP said:

Catcher is our weakest position. You don't trade from your worst position unless we get a return of catching which is unlikely. Vasquez is gone this year meaning we need to either acquire or sign a MLB caliber catcher to pair with Jeffers next year. If we traded Jeffers we'd be looking for two catchers next year because as the article states it doesn't look like we have any legit catching options in the minors ATM.....

I am not sure Vazquez if out of the picture as of yet.   He has disappointed with the bat, but defensively and handling a pitching staff has been good.   He won't command a lot on the open market and I would not mind a two year contract extension for him.

[Patzky]

30 minutes ago, mickster said:

I am not sure Vazquez if out of the picture as of yet.   He has disappointed with the bat, but defensively and handling a pitching staff has been good.   He won't command a lot on the open market and I would not mind a two year contract extension for him.

I agree with your unpopular assessment.

[DJL44]

33 minutes ago, mickster said:

I am not sure Vazquez if out of the picture as of yet.   He has disappointed with the bat, but defensively and handling a pitching staff has been good.   He won't command a lot on the open market and I would not mind a two year contract extension for him.

That would be malfeasance by the front office. Vazquez is a complete zero at the plate right now and he keeps getting worse as he gets older. Why do you want to watch 36-year-old Christian Vazquez hit .100 in 2027?

If he decides to play in 2026, he's going to settle for a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. He is likely to bounce around the waiver wire for the remainder of his career.

[farmerguychris]

39 minutes ago, mickster said:

I am not sure Vazquez if out of the picture as of yet.   He has disappointed with the bat, but defensively and handling a pitching staff has been good.   He won't command a lot on the open market and I would not mind a two year contract extension for him.

To me - this would be a very disappointing outcome.  If we are actually considering resigning Vazquez instead of promoting from within, we need to trade for someone they are comfortable with at the major league level.  Vazquez is just above pitcher level when trying to get a hit - at this point in his career.

 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

 You want the Twins to be buyers? Oh boy. OK. We'll just not agree on strategy then. 

Perfectly fair. As it sits, they’re 5 games back of a wild card, and only the Tigers are really playing well in the AL. The Twins pitching has stopped the bleeding and Pablo should be back in August. If the Twins can start scoring runs again, they can make up ground in a hurry.