Victor Caratini Isn't a Good Fit for the 2026 Minnesota Twins

[Cody Pirkl]

Image courtesy of © Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

This offseason, Victor Caratini became the first free agent the Twins signed to a multi-year deal in two years. The $14-million, two-year price tag was fair, though it was surprising—and it was difficult to see how he fit the roster and timeline. The way he’s been utilized so far, the acquisition becomes even more questionable.

For starters, the Twins acquired Alex Jackson early in the offseason. He had flashed offensively in 2025 and was a well-respected defender. This made him a viable backup for Ryan Jeffers, who was tabbed to pick up a larger percentage of the playing time behind the plate. Caratini’s signing eventually pushed Jackson off the roster, and he’s now stashed in St. Paul for the time being. It was certainly an upgrade at the backup catcher position, but it came at the cost of the limited payroll room the team had available with which to improve this winter.

 

Caratini has started two games behind the plate thus far, and has started at first base three times. In the small sample of the 2026 season to date, the Twins have already committed to Jeffers in a way we never saw them do with Christian Vázquez in the picture, when the two were essentially locked in a timeshare. If this pattern holds, it’s worth questioning why the Twins allocated the resources they did to Victor Caratini.

It appears Caratini is an everyday starter against left-handed pitching. It is what it is for a roster with not nearly enough buttons to push in those matchups. He owns a .668 OPS against southpaws in his career, but posted a much more tolerable .740 mark in 2025. Plugging this production into a role like Christian Vázquez had last season would be valuable; doing so at first base is less enticing.

 

If Jeffers carries the lion’s share of work behind the plate for the rest of the season, it’s hard not to feel like the Twins missed an opportunity to legitimately upgrade their lineup. Caratini is a nice player who can switch-hit and play multiple positions in the field. He’s not a player to whom a competitive team should hand a regular role in a corner infield or DH spot. Both positions have a high offensive bar to clear, and have no shortage of options to fill them cheaply every year in free agency.

 

It may be wishful thinking to assume the Twins would have spent the Caratini money elsewhere on the roster if they hadn’t signed him. If their usage of him so far is the plan going forward, however, it’s hard not to argue they should have. They could have kept Jackson for what would be a modest backup role behind the plate. Jackson, by the way, was a more valuable player by Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement than Caratini in 2025. Even signing a Rhys Hoskins type, who struggled last season but has a career .883 OPS against lefties, would have placed a more qualified player in the role Caratini has played so far.

Perhaps we see Caratini mix in at catcher in a more even split as the season goes on (or take over as the starter, should Jeffers be dealt in July), but if the Twins stick to their plan for Jeffers to take on a bigger role catching, the signing doesn’t make much sense. Caratini moonlighting behind the plate while serving as the primary first baseman or DH against left-handed pitching isn’t going to provide much impact to a lineup that desperately needs it. The deal was clearly too good for the Twins front office to pass up, but if Caratini’s usage holds, the Twins won’t be better for seizing the opportunity.

View full article

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Didn't like or even understand the signing at the time. He seems pretty good with the ABS challenges but outside of that, not really seeing anything of value. 

[DJL44]

Caratini is another bat-first “value” signing. He will be the starting catcher when Jeffers is traded at the deadline.

Crazy how much they spent on Caratini and Bell and they still don’t have a first baseman.

[dxpavelka]

I get it.  We all know better than the Twins how to build a roster.  However, it's a long season and it is entirely possible that 6 games is NOT an indication of how anything will play out over the course of the season.  I will always remember 2023.  As mid May gave way to late May I remember thinking "why the hell is  this guy taking up a roster spot" about a guy named Solano who had FIVE RBI to that point.  Without Solano's performance from that point forward that team not only doesn't win a playoff series, they don't even make the playoffs.  Rash judgements after a handful of games are laughable.

[miracleb]

He should be the catcher against right-handed pitchers and Jeffers against left-handed pitchers(and when Caratini needs a break.)  That would mean many more starts for Caratini over Jeffers.  That would put them both in the best position to thrive.  If you are worried about at bats for Jeffers, would you DH him against right-handed pitchers.......probably not.

[thelanges5]

He’s signed for next season as well. Jeffers will be gone either at the deadline or as a FA. This lineup is a mess and he’s not the biggest problem in my opinion. 
See Larnach, Outman, Gray

[Patzky]

51 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

I get it.  We all know better than the Twins how to build a roster.  However, it's a long season and it is entirely possible that 6 games is NOT an indication of how anything will play out over the course of the season.  I will always remember 2023.  As mid May gave way to late May I remember thinking "why the hell is  this guy taking up a roster spot" about a guy named Solano who had FIVE RBI to that point.  Without Solano's performance from that point forward that team not only doesn't win a playoff series, they don't even make the playoffs.  Rash judgements after a handful of games are laughable.

We hit the proverbial jackpot with the Donnie Barrels and Michael A Taylor signings, and even Kyle Farmer was pretty valuable. Carlos Santana and Harrison Bader too and even Ty France and Joey Gallo provided some value and excitement. 

But we remember the 'Many' Margots when we worry about Caratini. I think he'll be starting next year if not by the end of this year. 

[Major League Ready]

Caratini is pretty low on the list of our roster problems.  Larnach is the biggest problem followed by Lee in the role of starting SS.   Even Outman is not a big problem in the CF / Defensive replacement role similar to what Kiersey provided.    

[JD-TWINS]

I get that “something” needs to be written about!

Can’t really say with a straight face that Caratini is a poor fit - followed up by tying it to economics. Replacing Vazquez and spending $3M less & getting a switch hitter that has capabilities at 1B is not a poor move.

Jeffers is catching a bigger % (through 6 games) because Team has faced lefties in 4 of 6 games AND there have been OFF days in the schedule early. There’s no such thing as a “back-up catcher” in today’s game …….. the 2nd Catcher is going to catch a minimum of 50 games……. 31% of the contests at a minimum (w/o injuries).

Team spent $155M minimum in 2023 and are spending $105M in 2026. This is NOT a Front Office problem……..there have been no poor value signings, including Larnach & Bell.

Spending $22M on Lopez & $10M on Correa in ‘26 and Ownership says “Team is going to be competitive” by spending $73M on other guys. OWNERSHIP is this issue and “poor signings” are not even close to being an issue.

Lee - Larnach - Lewis - Wallner are also issues, to be fair to Ownership.

[Twins GFP]

Took a whole 6 games to determine that our back-up catcher is a bad fit?

It never ceases to amaze me how much this site jumps the gun.

[bunsen82]

Am I in the twilight zone . . .  

For the last 2 years we have had articles upon articles complaining about our lack of catching depth.   We traded a former frontier league free agent for the basement level backup in Alex Jackson.  Who had some flashes last year . . .  but who got through waivers with no one claiming him and his $1.5 million salary.  This was the best case out come for the Twins I was thrilled we were able to get him to AAA.  Even still as of right now no one saw him as a legitimate backup - even worthy of a dfa pickup.  

Jeffers has a better than 50/50 shot of being traded midseason.   Caratini was signed to be the backup for now and the bridge starter until our younger C prospects in AA and lower can make it to the big show.   For $7 million a year,  we got the 3rd best catcher this year.   He has looked solid behind the plate,  has a great rapport with Bradley (which is worth its weight in gold)   and the bat and his approach at the plate looks great.  Baserunning needs some improvement along with the rest of the team. 

Its not Caratini's issue this roster is wonky and we are waiting for some chips to fall.   Jeffers to get traded, See if Clemens continues to solidify himself as a big leaguer or if he falls out of favor and Wagaman becomes the primary 1st baseman.  Getting rid of Larnach and adding a better offensive option in Rodriguez, Roden or Jenkins,    and waiting for Culpepper to take the SS reigns will suddenly cause this roster and lineup to make much more sense.  

In either case rather than just having Jeffers on a 1 year contract that we would have been forced to keep him all year due to no back up - We now have Caratini to fill in that hole,  we can actually get some trade compensation and if either Caratini or Jeffers gets hurt we actually have depth in Jackson in the minors.  Seems to be a great outcome all things considered, and nothing to fret about after 6 games.  

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, miracleb said:

He should be the catcher against right-handed pitchers and Jeffers against left-handed pitchers(and when Caratini needs a break.)  That would mean many more starts for Caratini over Jeffers.  That would put them both in the best position to thrive.  If you are worried about at bats for Jeffers, would you DH him against right-handed pitchers.......probably not.

Playing Caratini at 1B gives an easy path to moving him to defense later in a game due to Jeffers injury or him being pinch run for in a key spot………..if he DH’s it’s a potential problem if he then catches because DH is lost.

I don’t see either Jeffers or Caratini DHing much at all due to the defensive complications of either gets injured.

75% of starters (pitchers) are RH - Jeffers isn’t getting platooned for due to pitcher, very often. I do think they will both play v. LH pitchers nearly 100% of the time. Was surprised by Clemens start yesterday……..not going to see either Catcher be in the game at night and come back the following afternoon.

[Twins GFP]

2 minutes ago, bunsen82 said:

Am I in the twilight zone . . .  

For the last 2 years we have had articles upon articles complaining about our lack of catching depth.   We traded a former frontier league free agent for the basement level backup in Alex Jackson.  Who had some flashes last year . . .  but who got through waivers with no one claiming him and his $1.5 million salary.  This was the best case out come for the Twins I was thrilled we were able to get him to AAA.  Even still as of right now no one saw him as a legitimate backup - even worth a dfa pickup.  

Jeffers has a better than 50/50 shot of being traded midseason.   Caratini was signed to be the backup for now and the bridge starter until our younger C prospects in AA and lower can make it to the big show.   For $7 million a year,  we got the 3rd best catcher this year.   He has looked solid behind the plate,  has a great rapport with Bradley (which is worth its weight in gold)   and the bat and his approach at the plate looks great.  Baserunning needs some improvement along with the rest of the team. 

Its not Caratini's issue this roster is wonky and we are waiting for some chips to fall.   Jeffers to get traded, See if Clemens continues to solidify himself as a big leaguer or if he falls up and Wagaman becomes the primary 1st baseman.  Getting rid of Larnach and waiting for Culpepper to take the SS reigns will suddenly cause this roster and lineup to make much more sense.  

In either case rather than just having Jeffers on a 1 year contract that we would have been forced to keep him all year due to no back up - We now have Caratini to fill in that hole,  we can actually get some trade compensation and if either Caratini or Jeffers gets hurt we actually have depth in Jackson in the minors.   

Yup. I forgot the narrative here is to always find the negative in a positive.

[stringer bell]

I think Caratini is worth the money in what is looking very much like a transition season. It is very possible that he is the primary catcher in four months and he is the most likely person to start at catcher in 2027. That he is an acceptable first baseman gives him a chance to get more plate appearances and blocks no one in the Twins’ system. He won’t win a Gold Glove, but he’s decent behind the plate and he’s been a much better hitter than alternate catchers behind Jeffers. 
 

I’ll believe Jeffers catching over 100 games for the Twins when I see it. Having a capable alternate catcher behind Jeffers is necessary and there wasn’t anything in the system to fill the role. 

[stringer bell]

3 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

 

[DJL44]

42 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

Caratini is pretty low on the list of our roster problems.  Larnach is the biggest problem followed by Lee in the role of starting SS.   Even Outman is not a big problem in the CF / Defensive replacement role similar to what Kiersey provided.    

The roster feels much more like a collection of undervalued “assets” than a baseball team. Why does a team with a $100M payroll need a $5M backup DH? 

[WarPath1211]

I'm still onboard with the Caratini signing. Right now, he is a more than capable backup C, and an acceptable option to scoop up some spare ABs at 1B. If there was no Caratini, that probably means either Bell gets more time in the field at 1B (not a fan of that), or there is one less bench spot because the Twins are carrying both Alex Jackson and Eric Wagaman (or someone else). So Caratini is valuable as a jack-of-all-trades but master-of-none switch-hitting piece.

I also think there's a pretty good probability that Caratini is the primary catcher next year assuming Jeffers is traded or leaves in FA. I wouldn't be thrilled by that but it's a better plan than rolling with Alex Jackson or an unproven minor league catcher. Alex Jackson had an outlier hitting year last year but has a career 40%  major league K rate - even as a good defender, this is not a guy you want as your primary catcher. Caratini has been a far better major league player overall and it's not close.

[The Great Hambino]

Some of the hidden value of Caratini is that because of his presence on the roster, Bell hasn't yet made an appearance in the field.  So far exclusively he's been a DH.   There will come a time when that's no longer true, and I think we'll have a greater appreciation of Caratini's competent 1B play at that time. 

Plus, I think his real value is as the bridge C between Jeffers and Tait/the next bridge to Tait, depending on his development.  It's not a coincidence that he's the only new guy brought in with a guarantee for next year

And if he starts to take off above expectations, he could be the inspiration of some avant-garde custom cocktails at the bars in the park.  Do I want a carrot-infused martini?  Probably not!  But I'd give it a try anyway

[jjswol]

Caratini should be an emergency first baseman and the back-up catcher. He doesn't hit enough to be the DH, not a good first baseman, and is slower than molasses.

[HrbieFan]

47 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Took a whole 6 games to determine that our back-up catcher is a bad fit?

It never ceases to amaze me how much this site jumps the gun.

And since when was Jackson a legit backup? He hasn't ever hit in the majors and no other team wanted him. Jeffers is in his walk year too. 

 

 

[Peter Gravett]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Caratini is another bat-first “value” signing. He will be the starting catcher when Jeffers is traded at the deadline.

Crazy how much they spent on Caratini and Bell and they still don’t have a first baseman.

Add to that, trading for a not so impressive Eric Wagaman as option #3. #disappointing...

[JBK]

36 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

39 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

 

I think stringer bell summed it up perfectly.

[USAFChief]

57 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Took a whole 6 games to determine that our back-up catcher is a bad fit?

It never ceases to amaze me how much this site jumps the gun.

If Caratini was simply the backup catcher he'd be a great fit.

Pretending he's an asset as a first baseman and/or DH does nothing but contribute to building a team that won't win 75 games.

 

Edited April 3 by USAFChief

[stringer bell]

12 minutes ago, JBK said:

I think stringer bell summed it up perfectly.

"Push the 'submit reply' button once."

[High heat]

Jeffers will not hold up and be productive at this pace.  Even if he is healthy or productive he will get traded at deadline so caratini signing is for coverage and 2027.

 Our entire current roster doesn’t fit 2026.

[JBK]

17 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

"Push the 'submit reply' button once."

I did.  Your first quote was nothing, and I agreed. It's a non-story

[stringer bell]

15 minutes ago, JBK said:

I did.  Your first quote was nothing, and I agreed. It's a non-story

Those were instructions to me. 

[LA Vikes Fan]

1 hour ago, bunsen82 said:

Am I in the twilight zone . . .  

For the last 2 years we have had articles upon articles complaining about our lack of catching depth.   We traded a former frontier league free agent for the basement level backup in Alex Jackson.  Who had some flashes last year . . .  but who got through waivers with no one claiming him and his $1.5 million salary.  This was the best case out come for the Twins I was thrilled we were able to get him to AAA.  Even still as of right now no one saw him as a legitimate backup - even worthy of a dfa pickup.  

Jeffers has a better than 50/50 shot of being traded midseason.   Caratini was signed to be the backup for now and the bridge starter until our younger C prospects in AA and lower can make it to the big show.   For $7 million a year,  we got the 3rd best catcher this year.   He has looked solid behind the plate,  has a great rapport with Bradley (which is worth its weight in gold)   and the bat and his approach at the plate looks great.  Baserunning needs some improvement along with the rest of the team. 

Its not Caratini's issue this roster is wonky and we are waiting for some chips to fall.   Jeffers to get traded, See if Clemens continues to solidify himself as a big leaguer or if he falls out of favor and Wagaman becomes the primary 1st baseman.  Getting rid of Larnach and adding a better offensive option in Rodriguez, Roden or Jenkins,    and waiting for Culpepper to take the SS reigns will suddenly cause this roster and lineup to make much more sense.  

In either case rather than just having Jeffers on a 1 year contract that we would have been forced to keep him all year due to no back up - We now have Caratini to fill in that hole,  we can actually get some trade compensation and if either Caratini or Jeffers gets hurt we actually have depth in Jackson in the minors.  Seems to be a great outcome all things considered, and nothing to fret about after 6 games.  

This. Caratini isn't on the team to play 1B, he's playing 1B on occasion until Jeffers is gone so he can do what he's really here to do - be the bridge catcher for the last half of 2026 and 2027. He's just playing more because we've faced 4 LH starters in 6 games. 

The real "bad fit" on this roster is having Larnach, Bell, AND Wallner on the same team. It's particularly bad if you can only play one of them in the field at a time which seems to be the situation. I'm not sure what the thought was if Bell isn't going to play 1B. 

[DJL44]

With one injury to the roster we should see Wagaman promoted and he will get the reps at 1B instead of Caratini. That will give us a different player to complain about.

[twinstalker]

I've used this line many times since it was used on me decades ago, and now in response to Caratini not being a fit on the Twins roster:

"How could it possibly matter?"