You’re not a GM. You Shouldn’t Want to Trade Ryan Jeffers.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I love Ryan Jeffers. He may be our best hitter. I certainly don’t want him gone. I would love him to be on the team from now through at least until Lackey is ready, or probably through 2028 at least as there may not be a full season or any season in 2027.

I also love roster building as a thought experiment, and the idea of not doing anything this trade deadline gives me cold sweats. They have to make improvements if they want to try, and they have to tear down if they aren’t going for it. Staying in the middle is not an option in my opinion.

Anyway, if they are going for it, I’d much prefer keeping him for the last 2 months and letting him walk to taking a minimal return. If he is traded it had better be a large return.

How’s that for speaking out of both sides of my mouth?

[Craig Arko]

So if I was a GM he’s out the door? Okay, I remember who actually makes these decisions. 

[Brandon]

5 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

This is what the Angels continue to do over and over. How’s that been working out for them? 

The Angels get stars and no depth.  Their farm is not good either.  That is their problem.  They always start good, then an injury and they are done.  Because they have no depth to cover for the injured player.  

[1985Fan]

15 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

You, like the author, confuse wanting to see certain moves made with not enjoying the games we're watching. I can do both. Wanting them to trade Jeffers and Ryan doesn't make me sit in my living room and hate every second of watching them. It doesn't make me not watch. What makes me not enjoy this season to any great extreme is that this team has been at (not above, AT) .500 for 1 day since April when they were 12-12. 

I enjoy or don't enjoy each and every game on its own merits. My desire to see Ryan and Jeffers traded plays no role in that. My desire to not see yet another below .500 team in 2027 is what drives my desire to see moves made. 

You're going to struggle to find many people who are upset with you enjoying this team. All some of us are asking is that you not tell us that we can't enjoy this, or any, team unless we want to keep 100% of the players on it. As another poster said, I contain multitudes. I can enjoy games, the team, and even the season while still wanting them to trade Ryan and Jeffers. I'm sorry if some of you can only enjoy any individual part of those options if you want to keep Ryan Jeffers. The Pohlads love you, though.

Didn’t tell you anything. I posted an opinion you don’t like. Ok, I understand your side of the argument. I get it, you don’t like my opinion. Don’t take it personally and overreact! 

[Brandon]

I've got the solution that makes everyone happy.  We trade Jeffers at the trade deadline as a plyer to be named later so we can continue playing him until we announce the player to be named later after the season.  Every body wins, we keep him until after the season and keep playing him 

[Nashvilletwin]

Hard to believe Falvey turned down that deal from the Bosox for Ryan last deadline: a high quality no worse than a #2 or #3 left handed young starter and the #7 overall prospect 20 year old .

No wonder he was fired.   What a joke.  

[DJL44]

We are seeing parity like I can’t remember in baseball. The floor level of MLB talent is probably at an all-time peak. In an NFL analogy, we have the entire league between 4-6 and 6-4 with 6 games left to play. It is very hard to separate from the pack.

The Twins are likely to win somewhere between 23 and 32 of their remaining 56 games. That makes them finish with 75 to 84 wins. Any trade deadline additions are only likely to sway that by 1-3 wins. That’s why it makes little sense to spend young talent to buy at the deadline.

Selling Jeffers might cost them 1-2 wins in 2026 but could add them 5-10 wins over the next 5 seasons.

[chpettit19]

7 minutes ago, 1985Fan said:

Didn’t tell you anything. I posted an opinion you don’t like. Ok, I understand your side of the argument. I get it, you don’t like my opinion. Don’t take it personally and overreact! 

"I think there is a large group of baseball fans into the arm chair GM game more so than watching the current team. Call it looking at what could be instead of what is. Nothing wrong with that except I think they miss out on the good baseball in front of them."

Here's the thing about this comment that you made in the other post. It isn't an argument. I don't have a "side of the argument." Because it isn't one. Your "opinion" was a comment on how other people think and feel. There's nothing to like or dislike about the opinion itself. It's either right or wrong. And I'm telling you, for many of us in the group you describe, you're wrong. You don't get to argue about how I, or anyone, enjoys the Twins or anything else. 

That's the issue with the comment like "they miss out on the good baseball in front of them" and the article in general. You don't know how anyone enjoys the baseball in front of them. The author doesn't know how any of us enjoy the Twins. All the article is is a complaint that he has to see tweets or posts or whatever that differ from his and he says we're all wrong if we don't just think the way he does. Author has the real simple option of just not taking money from twinsdaily.com to write articles and to change his social media interactions. And you both have the real simple option of simply not worrying about how any of us enjoy the Twins.

The article and the clipped part of your other comment aren't arguments about trading Jeffers or Ryan or extending Buxton or drafting Lackey or anything else. They're statements telling other people how to live their lives, think, or feel. You can't tell me I'm wrong for how I go about being a fan. Just like the author can't. Nothing to argue about because you don't get to tell anyone what they enjoy and what they don't. Just like none of us get to tell you you can only enjoy the Twins if you enjoy them the way we do.

[Andy MacPhail]

So, Greg, are you telling me that as a fan, I shouldn't want Jeffers to be traded but maybe if I was a GM, I should?

I've seen too many players who loved being a Twin & wanted to remain a Twin, get traded. I'd like Jeffers to remain a Twin & IMO, Jeffers likes being a Twin but him choosing Boras as his agent, he's OK with not being a Twin. So, I'm OK with trading him. If that means picking up a good young MLB-ready catcher with options, to cover for Caratini & Jackson, so be it. Or maybe Cardenas steps up to become the teams' 3rd catcher.

[Woof Bronzer]

Ah yes, shaming anyone who disagrees with you, the last refuge of the angry, arrogant, or unpersuasive writer. 

Seriously question for the writer:  Why do you care so passionately about the opinions other people hold? 

[bean5302]

Jeffers is an average starting catcher, which is definitely a solid asset, but he's not a cornerstone for a mid market team.

Since 2021, of catchers with 1500+ plate appearances, Ryan Jeffers ranks 9th. Distantly behind the tier above him.

I will never understand the desperate Twins fan who will do anything and everything to hang on to a name they recognize until every last bit of playable baseball has left their career behind.

[darin617]

I never wasted 2 seconds on this crap post. 

You trade a player at his peak value especially when he will be a free agent and he will command a huge contract going forward.

[TopGunn#22]

Sorry Gregg.  I choose NOT to live in your utopian fandom.  There is not a reality where Ryan Jeffers is a Minnesota Twin in 2027.

There just isn't. 

It's not that I have an irrational dislike for Jeffers.  I actually like him, and drafted him for my fantasy baseball team.  (so in a way...I  AM  a  GM)!!    :)  

The irresponsible thing to do as a "GM" is to just let him walk and fail to capitalize on his value and add something back that helps the ballclub. 

So I 2nd what rdehring wrote and rest my case.   

[Greggory Masterson]

1 hour ago, Andy MacPhail said:

So, Greg, are you telling me that as a fan, I shouldn't want Jeffers to be traded but maybe if I was a GM, I should?

Yes, precisely. There's nothing wrong in and of itself with putting on your GM hat as a fan. But when you get to the point where your favorite team is in position to make a playoff push, and your thought is that they should try to make themselves worse mid-season, I think you've lost sight of something.

59 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

I will never understand the desperate Twins fan who will do anything and everything to hang on to a name they recognize until every last bit of playable baseball has left their career behind.

I'm not against trading Jeffers by any means. I have no personal attachment to him. I have no interest in extending him for the money he'll get. If they trade him, I'll understand the reasoning and hope that they get good value for him. It might be the smartest thing to do at the deadline. But fans shouldn't be clamoring for it to happen.

44 minutes ago, darin617 said:

I never wasted 2 seconds on this crap post. 

You trade a player at his peak value especially when he will be a free agent and he will command a huge contract going forward.

This is a lot of words to type in under two seconds; good on ya.

 

1 hour ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Ah yes, shaming anyone who disagrees with you, the last refuge of the angry, arrogant, or unpersuasive writer. 

Seriously question for the writer:  Why do you care so passionately about the opinions other people hold? 

Shaming?

To answer your question: why can't a man care for his fellow man? I want the best for everyone.

[Heiny]

There is another aspect to trading Jeffers that hasn't been talked about.  Albeit probably quite minor and only something that would affect the Pohlads.  And that would be that by keeping Jeffers in a possible playoff run, if he were to make the difference in making or not making the playoffs,  there is a lot of money to be made, "again, by the Pohlads", in having home playoff games.  I'm not sure how much difference that would make to even the owners or the differntial in their profits, but I thought I'd throw it out there for laughs.

[nova_twins]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Jeffers is an average starting catcher, which is definitely a solid asset, but he's not a cornerstone for a mid market team.

Since 2021, of catchers with 1500+ plate appearances, Ryan Jeffers ranks 9th. Distantly behind the tier above him.

I will never understand the desperate Twins fan who will do anything and everything to hang on to a name they recognize until every last bit of playable baseball has left their career behind.

Uh yeah the rest of the league is aware which is why the Twins won't get offered anything meaningful for Jeffers, so it's pointless to trade him. 

[Andy MacPhail]

Some say if you want to compete, you need to buy not sell. To me it's like saying, you can't walk & chew gum at the same time. Sure, if you want to go for it all, you don't sell & you put up your coveted prospects, but IMO, Twins aren't in that position, they can still sell at covered spots & fill needs to become more competitive in '26 & in the future. Staying pat isn't a good option.

[Heiny]

And when the deadline has come and gone, I predict that Jeffers will either be a Dodger or a Yankee.

 

[chpettit19]

30 minutes ago, Greggory Masterson said:

Shaming?

To answer your question: why can't a man care for his fellow man? I want the best for everyone.

The problem is that you're defining "best for everyone" to be what you enjoy most. Either we fan how you fan or we're not "living our best life" as they say. You're assuming people like me who 100% want Ryan Jeffers traded aren't enjoying the season as much as you. You're working from a flawed premise of you knowing the best way for all of us to enjoy the Twins, and this season in particular.

Why do you think you know how much any of us are enjoying it, and why is your way not only the right way, but only way, to truly enjoy the Twins? You don't want the best for everyone; you want everyone to enjoy what you enjoy. Those aren't the same things.

[Greggory Masterson]

  

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't agree with the pathetic and gutless comment, but I'd suggest you remember that us disagreeing and making these comments is what allows you to get paid to write articles about a baseball team. Maybe lecturing us on how to be a fan correctly isn't the best look. 

I don't really understand what you're getting at with the comments about readers paying my bills. You've made that point a few times here, and I'm unsure where you draw the line for decorum when you disagree with someone. What's the difference between saying "There's a habit fans have that's bad" and "The Twins made a bad decision"? Should I pull punches and not write pretty milquetoast arguments so as to appease the people who read what I have to say? 

4 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Few things to explain why I disagree with this entire article and think its one of the worst ever posted on this site.

#1 You can fan how you want to fan and don't worry about how I, or anyone else, fans. You enjoy the Twins, and sports in general, how you want and I'll enjoy them how I want.

#2 The reason I want them to trade Jeffers and Ryan is because I'm a fan. I do enjoy playing armchair GM, but my thoughts and opinions are clouded much more by fandom than any GM's should be. I want them to trade them because I'm a fan and will be next year and the year after and the year after that. And I want them to be good in those years! 

#3 There's a massive gap between "have to win a championship or its a bust of a season" and "hey, they're almost .500!" I absolutely want them to push to be champions and get out of this "hey, weren't completely and utterly terrible so it was a success" mindset. But that doesn't mean I consider the entire season a waste if they don't. 

#4 I don't care about a sub-.500 team trying to get close to making the playoffs at the expense of the following seasons. You can. And I hope you're enjoying this team. I enjoy some of the performances we're seeing, but the season isn't overly enjoyable for me when they lose more than they win. And its none of your business that I don't enjoy that. Don't worry about me and how I fan. I don't remember you, or anyone, writing these kinds of articles the last couple years. The league being down (until recently) doesn't change how I enjoy this team. I didn't enjoy them not being able to get to and stay above .500 last year and I don't enjoy it this year. 

One last time: Keep your eyes on your own bobber. Fan how you want and don't worry about how I fan. 

Trade Jeffers and Ryan.

I appreciate you laying out your POV, and I have several responses to your points.

1) First, again, thanks for substantiating your perspective, because "Don't tell me how to fan" on its own is not a good response. It's akin to saying "Well, it's just my opinion," which is rarely a good defense for a take or perspective. If you feel strongly enough about something to bristle at someone saying it's wrong, you need to be able to defend it. Say it with your chest. Otherwise, there's no real conversation to be had; it's just "I think this and you think that." Which isn't terribly interesting.

2) As I stated in the article, if they trade Jeffers, then it happens. And it might be the best move for the long-term health of the team. So be it. But there's a ton of cognitive dissonance and illusion of control that goes into that line of thinking that tells you that's what they ought to do. That's worth pointing out.

3) You might not remember it, but I know that I have written similar articles in the past. For instance, I've pointed out that fans sometimes struggle with object permanence, forgetting that things happen behind closed doors and that not hearing that something happened doesn't mean it never did. I've also written that Twins fans should stop getting upset about injury timelines, given the lack of information we have; comparing it to Plato's Cave. I'm sure I've done it other places, but these are what I recall off the top of my head. These are topics that it's okay to cover. Whether bringing that up hurts or helps my case doesn't really concern me, but since you said that no one writes things like this, I might as well point you to it.

 

https://twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/minnesota-twins/baseball-fans-mind-trick-injuries/

https://twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/minnesota-twins/alex-kirilloff-and-embracing-the-unknown-r14127/

4) Surely this isn't the worst article ever posted here. I remember a piece in 2023 titled something like "How can Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas make it back to MLB this season?" But I respect you saying that with your chest.

6 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

The problem is that you're defining "best for everyone" to be what you enjoy most. Either we fan how you fan or we're not "living our best life" as they say. You're assuming people like me who 100% want Ryan Jeffers traded aren't enjoying the season as much as you. You're working from a flawed premise of you knowing the best way for all of us to enjoy the Twins, and this season in particular.

Why do you think you know how much any of us are enjoying it, and why is your way not only the right way, but only way, to truly enjoy the Twins? You don't want the best for everyone; you want everyone to enjoy what you enjoy. Those aren't the same things.

When you have a preference, you are inherently stating that that is the best.

[chpettit19]

21 minutes ago, Heiny said:

There is another aspect to trading Jeffers that hasn't been talked about.  Albeit probably quite minor and only something that would affect the Pohlads.  And that would be that by keeping Jeffers in a possible playoff run, if he were to make the difference in making or not making the playoffs,  there is a lot of money to be made, "again, by the Pohlads", in having home playoff games.  I'm not sure how much difference that would make to even the owners or the differntial in their profits, but I thought I'd throw it out there for laughs.

The odds of the Twins making the playoffs are not good. The odds of them having home playoff games are even worse. Like really, really low kind of worse. The wildcard round is all played at the higher seed's stadium. The Twins would have to jump a whole lot of teams during the season or win 2 or 3 on the road in the first round to get a home playoff game.

[Greggory Masterson]

19 minutes ago, Andy MacPhail said:

Some say if you want to compete, you need to buy not sell. To me it's like saying, you can't walk & chew gum at the same time. Sure, if you want to go for it all, you don't sell & you put up your coveted prospects, but IMO, Twins aren't in that position, they can still sell at covered spots & fill needs to become more competitive in '26 & in the future. Staying pat isn't a good option.

I don't disagree. I personally think that the best path forward at the 2026 deadline is some combination of buying and selling.

[Greggory Masterson]

54 minutes ago, TopGunn#22 said:

Sorry Gregg.  I choose NOT to live in your utopian fandom.  There is not a reality where Ryan Jeffers is a Minnesota Twin in 2027.

I doubt he will! Nothing utopian here. I would tender him a qualifying offer if I was the GM, but I would not give him an extension.

[HarmonK03]

4 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Jeffers has never, in his life, caught more than 81 games in a season. He's no sure thing to be some true starting catcher either. And they can trade him now and sign him after the season. Nothing says they can't offer him the best deal if they trade him.

I would take my chances with Jeffers maintaining his production by catching another 20 games or so versus hoping Caratini can even catch 81 and still be productive at the plate.  I get that is probably the direction they are heading, but we may be missing Jeffers next year by June more than we realize.

[DJL44]

32 minutes ago, nova_twins said:

Uh yeah the rest of the league is aware which is why the Twins won't get offered anything meaningful for Jeffers, so it's pointless to trade him. 

The Yankees are desperate for an average MLB catcher.

[Craig Arko]

10 minutes ago, Greggory Masterson said:

I doubt he will! Nothing utopian here. I would tender him a qualifying offer if I was the GM, but I would not give him an extension.

But you’re not the GM, and neither am I. That’s kind of the point, isn’t it?

[chpettit19]

1 minute ago, Greggory Masterson said:

  

I don't really understand what you're getting at with the comments about readers paying my bills. You've made that point a few times here, and I'm unsure where you draw the line for decorum when you disagree with someone. What's the difference between saying "There's a habit fans have that's bad" and "The Twins made a bad decision"? Should I pull punches and not write pretty milquetoast arguments so as to appease the people who read what I have to say? 

I appreciate you laying out your POV, and I have several responses to your points.

1) First, again, thanks for substantiating your perspective, because "Don't tell me how to fan" on its own is not a good response. It's akin to saying "Well, it's just my opinion," which is rarely a good defense for a take or perspective. If you feel strongly enough about something to bristle at someone saying it's wrong, you need to be able to defend it. Say it with your chest. Otherwise, there's no real conversation to be had; it's just "I think this and you think that." Which isn't terribly interesting.

2) As I stated in the article, if they trade Jeffers, then it happens. And it might be the best move for the long-term health of the team. So be it. But there's a ton of cognitive dissonance and illusion of control that goes into that line of thinking that tells you that's what they ought to do. That's worth pointing out.

3) You might not remember it, but I know that I have written similar articles in the past. For instance, I've pointed out that fans sometimes struggle with object permanence, forgetting that things happen behind closed doors and that not hearing that something happened doesn't mean it never did. I've also written that Twins fans should stop getting upset about injury timelines, given the lack of information we have; comparing it to Plato's Cave. I'm sure I've done it other places, but these are what I recall off the top of my head. These are topics that it's okay to cover. Whether bringing that up hurts or helps my case doesn't really concern me, but since you said that no one writes things like this, I might as well point you to it.

 

https://twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/minnesota-twins/baseball-fans-mind-trick-injuries/

https://twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/minnesota-twins/alex-kirilloff-and-embracing-the-unknown-r14127/

 

1. When have I ever said anything about readers paying anyone's bills before that specific comment? Not saying it's impossible that I did, but I have no recollection of it. The point is that if we all agreed and people didn't come to this site to have their fill of Twins centric debate, the site would get significantly less traffic and they wouldn't be able to pay people to write articles. It's generally not a great strategy to tell a large segment of your customer base they're doing it wrong. See, St Peter, Dave and his never ending "fans are just bad at being fans and it's their fault we don't sell more tickets." Not a great business plan.

2. I actually don't think anyone simply saying "don't tell me how to fan" is lacking in anything. I most definitely use more words than most people, and tend to overexplain my stances. But "don't tell me how to enjoy things" is 100% enough of a retort. It's none of your business how anyone enjoys anything. As long as we're not hurting anyone, we can enjoy the Twins in whatever fashion we like and you don't get to tell us we're not enjoying them correctly. "Don't tell me how to fan" is absolutely a good enough stand alone statement.

3. There's no cognitive dissonance in me having opinions about the Twins best path forward. Also no illusion of control. Whether or not they trade Ryan Jeffers won't affect how I enjoy the rest of this season. Again, that's your mistake here. You've decided you know how I enjoy the Twins and what drives my enjoyment. I have no problem separating what I would do, what I think they should do, what I think they will do, and my for fun debates with others (on TD or anywhere else) with my enjoyment of the team. I'm watching the game while I type this and there isn't 1 part of me wishing they'd lose so there's a better chance they trade guys, thinking "man it's cool they're winning, but I'm still so worried about whether or not they'll trade Jeffers I just can't enjoy it," or any other negative things besides the fact that the pen is making this game much closer than it should be.

4. I don't think those articles are meaningfully similar to this one. They may be your armchair psychologists attempt at explaining some things in relation to sport, but they aren't telling people that if they don't enjoy things the way you do, they aren't really enjoying it.

Again, you've come at this from a false premise of you knowing the way to enjoy being a fan. There is no 1 way to enjoy being a fan. Some of us enjoying being arm chair GMs while following a season doesn't mean we aren't enjoying the season every bit as much as we would if we had no thoughts or opinions or wishes on what the team would do. I can wish they'd trade Jeffers and Ryan and still wish for them to win out and enjoy when they do well. They don't have to be separate things in everyone's mind. The cognitive dissonance you may feel isn't present in me. I'm sorry your enjoyment is so attached to the team doing what you wish they'd do. Mine isn't.