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

[Trov]

I never understood the signing either.  You add in Bell as a 1st base, you have plenty of options at DH, so you spend big on a catcher/1st base guy that is not an above average hitter.  He actually is career below average hitter, close to average.  You had a backup catcher already and had options at first. The signing made no sense. 

[Mike Sixel]

6 minutes ago, Trov said:

I never understood the signing either.  You add in Bell as a 1st base, you have plenty of options at DH, so you spend big on a catcher/1st base guy that is not an above average hitter.  He actually is career below average hitter, close to average.  You had a backup catcher already and had options at first. The signing made no sense. 

Who's your catcher after they trade Jeffers, or next year? This isn't just about this year. 

It's a fine signing. The bell and Larnach signings were not. 

[Western SD Fan]

Let's assume that Jeffers will at least be shopped if not traded by the trade deadline.  It makes sense that Jeffers would get a large majority of the starts as the Twins as teams that may want to trade for Jeffers want to make sure that he can actually handle the workload.  As some others have opined, Caratini will get the majority of the starts if Jeffers is traded mid-season. 

[DJL44]

11 minutes ago, Trov said:

I never understood the signing either.  You add in Bell as a 1st base, you have plenty of options at DH, so you spend big on a catcher/1st base guy that is not an above average hitter.  He actually is career below average hitter, close to average.  You had a backup catcher already and had options at first. The signing made no sense. 

Except Bell is a DH, not a first baseman.

Their options at 1B were Clemens and Wagaman. Caratini has a higher career OPS than either of them and hit better than each of them in 2025.

[Woof Bronzer]

2 hours ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

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

It never stops amusing me when a guy with Fire Dan Gladden as his avatar complains about everyone being so negative all the time.  

[AceWrigley]

1 hour ago, JBK said:

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

Nothing to see here, move along.

[Cris E]

The Twins have had amazing luck in how healthy their catchers have been over the past 3-5 years. We've gone years at a time without a third viable receiver on the 40 man, and it wasn't exposed until last summer when both Jeffers and Vasquez went out at the same time. Boy howdy, that was gawdawful. 

They now have a decent second guy (who is going to catch at least a third of the games) plus there's a glove in AAA with MLB experience.  And on the days Jeffers catches against a leftie, Caratini is just sitting there. So is it worse to let him exist only as a backup catcher, or to compare him to the other guys on the roster and play him if he's a better option?

My opinion is that eventually he's going to be the barely average hitter he's always been and someone will take the position away from him, but we're in week 1 and tings haven't shaken out yet. Buxton missed most of spring training and is slowly working his eye into game shape, so the need for RH hitters will relax a bit when he starts carrying his share of the offence. 

[Cris E]

59 minutes ago, Trov said:

I never understood the signing either.  You add in Bell as a 1st base, you have plenty of options at DH, so you spend big on a catcher/1st base guy that is not an above average hitter.  He actually is career below average hitter, close to average.  You had a backup catcher already and had options at first. The signing made no sense. 

Jackson was a backup, insurance, and they knew he couldn't be an every day catcher. That little flareup last summer wasn't real. When they could get Caratini for cheap they pounced and solved next year as well.  He is an average hitter, which is above average at catcher, and makes complete sense.

He's only in play at 1B because they did not move anyone else over to DH or 1B.  That's a completely separate problem, and one they needed to address. They have other options and they are not employing them, so he's a 1B for now.   In that regard this is dumb, but having Caratini for 2027 is not dumb at all.

[HerbieFan]

I thought at the time that Caratini was brought in:

- as a #2 catcher/part-time 1B

- as a replacement for Jeffers if he's dealt at the deadline

- as a replacement for Jeffers if he leaves in FA after the season.

[Greglw3]

I like the Caratini signing because he can hit. I’ve also been very impressed by his ABS challenges, which can really turn a game around. The Twins needed someone who didn’t have the ubiquitous .19x, .20x or .21x batting averages which have been killing them the last few years.

There are other things, I’m scratching my head about and displeased with, like platooning the speedy, athletic, on-base machine Austin Martin, with the plodding, lifetime .241 hitter Trevor Larnach. The two pinch hitting appearances for Larnach of Martin seem to have come in games where he was getting on base a lot. I said, run it back with Larnach and Wallner, slow footed, non-athletic, low batting average hitters and it was gonna spell trouble.

So far, Wallner doesn’t look that much different from last year even though his swing looks a little better.

Meanwhile Alan Roden just continues to hit .300+ and carry a .500 + OBP. 

And what good is James Outman doing? I’d rather see him take Larnach’s place and RUN, if he can’t cut it, we do have Jenkins, E-Rod and Roden all 3 ready to start their major league career’s.

[mikelink45]

I am still wrapped up in the future.  Letting Jeffers go we have Caratini and Jackson at catcher.  That feels like a real step backwards.  Are they think Tait will surprise us all and make it in 27?

[Cris E]

Not at all. Catchers are hard to develop, having to not just hit but master the art of calling a game while somehow staying healthy at a demanding position. But having two good candidates at Cedar Rapids means that in 28 or 29 we should be in high cotton. 

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, Cris E said:

The Twins have had amazing luck in how healthy their catchers have been over the past 3-5 years. We've gone years at a time without a third viable receiver on the 40 man, and it wasn't exposed until last summer when both Jeffers and Vasquez went out at the same time. Boy howdy, that was gawdawful. 

Mickey Gasper certainly was a struggle. 

Perada... He did just fine back there in the 11 games he was needed.  

In my opinion. Caratini covering a catcher spot in 2027 makes perfect sense with Jeffers likely gone. 

2026 in combination with Josh Bell doesn't as much sense to me though... especially with the proclaimed go for it mode our Twins are in. 

14 Million on the spots they will occupy and Jeffers promised the bulk of the time behind the plate. Caratini is a good hitter for a catcher. For a 1B or DH... he is an average at best hitter. 

I would have rather punted catcher position and spent 14 million on one bigger player to play in one bigger offensive spot.  

Oh Well... The course has been charted. 

 

[Linus]

I like Caratini as a catcher. I dislike Caratini as a first baseman or DH. Obvious opportunities to improve the lineup at first, DH and left field are just not pursued by this club. 

[Rufus]

Where does Twins Daily fiend its writers?  Romper Room?  Caratini is hitting about .280 and is a capable backup.  He is not a HOFer, but he is hitting and a capable backup.  Larnach is hitting.about .350 and receives hate.  Meanwhile another writer posts how Wallner has turned the corner and is a budding second coming.  Wallner is hitting .143, with 14 SO in 28 at bats..  Sure he has 2 HR's but he also has 2 RBI.  Just like last year he had 22 HRs with 40 RBI.  Just proves that the guy is a choke in clutch at bats.  Put runners on base and Wallner will most likely strike out. 

[Steve J]

The Twins bought Caratini at a good value.  If we just pretended he was a right-hand hitting first basemen that kept Bell off the field, we'd think it was a decent signing at two years and less than 15 million total.  We were looking at Ryan O'Hearn for twice that amount, and while he's the better hitter, we shouldn't doubt that there are a lot of clubs more appealing to free agents even if we offer lots of money.   Caratini may have simply been about the best right handed hitter we could sign at the time with the money available. 

Of course, it also is possible that the front office was thinking about trading Jeffers prior to his walk year.   Under that plan they would still having catching figured out through '27 with Caratini and Jackson and probably get a decent return, but it fizzed out for one reason or another.

[DarrenPS]

I absolutely agree with the article that the Caratini signing doesn't make a ton of sense based on usage thus far. I also will continue to say that Jeffers should have already been traded before the season started if we see no way in extending him. Hope they get a lot for him at the deadline somehow. I should clarify ideally to me we extend him, I just don't see that happening financially