The Minnesota Twins (77-85) didn’t wait long to make their first offseason decision on Ryan Jeffers. On Nov. 2, they extended the 29-year-old catcher a qualifying offer worth $23.15 million for one year.

It was the obvious move, especially after they held onto Jeffers past the Aug. 3 trade deadline. It also put the ball in Jeffers’ court. Well, on Wednesday, a source told Bobby Nightengale Jr (Star Tribune) that Jeffers intends to decline the qualifying offer and pursue a multi-year contract.

He has until 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 17, to make it official.

LAS VEGAS – Ryan Jeffers intends to decline his one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer, a source told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Wednesday. But the Twins will try to sign him to a long-term deal.

Nightengale called the decision “an expected outcome for the best catcher on the free-agent market.” The important thing, if you trust the Pohlads at all (haha), is that Jeffers declining the qualifying offer reportedly does not mean that he will not play for the Minnesota Twins next season.

What the Minnesota Twins lose if Ryan Jeffers walks

Instead, the Twins will shift fully to discussions that are already ongoing on a long term contract. Nightengale Jr. even went as far as to report that Minnesota is “hopeful they can re-sign him.” Of course, if they can’t, the MN Twins will now get a compensatory draft pick if Jeffers signs elsewhere in free agency.

Jeffers hit .256/.353/.461 with an .814 OPS, 14 home runs, 19 doubles and 56 RBI in 92 games in 2026. That came despite a fractured left hamate that put him on the injured list from May 19 until July 10.

He has spent his entire career in Minnesota since the Twins took him in the second round, 59th overall, out of UNC Wilmington in 2018. Since his 2020 debut, Jeffers has 82 home runs, 279 RBI and a .753 OPS in 607 games.

Jeffers’ agent, Scott Boras, is pitching that profile as rare, because it is. “A right-handed bat at catcher, it’s kind of a constellation of talent,” Boras said Wednesday. “It’s something that pretty much creates a star skill market for players at that position.”

Early projections from ESPN have Jeffers ranked as the 14th best free agent available this offseason, with a projected three-year, $51 million deal. MLB Trade Rumors has him ranked 9th, with a four year, $75 million deal awaiting him in free agency from someone.

Now what for the Twins behind the plate?

Minnesota made Jeffers the first order of business at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas, with a visit to Boras, Nightengale wrote. General manager Jeremy Zoll has been clear about where the team stands, as we covered this morning.

“We have made clear that we’d love to have him back, not just in a [qualifying offer] scenario, but in other scenarios too,” Zoll said. Dan Hayes (The Athletic) reported the Twins have “genuine interest” in a reunion.

If Jeffers does leave, Victor Caratini is the only catcher on the Twins’ 40-man roster. He is owed $10 million next year. Caratini hit .220/.312/.315 with seven home runs and 44 RBI in 106 games in 2026.

“I’m really glad we have Vic in the org. It just gives us a nice floor to work off of,” Zoll said.

Help from the farm isn’t coming right away, either. Vahn Lackey, the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, and Eduardo Tait, the headline prospect from the Jhoan Duran trade, are “at least a year from reaching the major leagues in a best-case scenario,” the Star Tribune reported.

Nightengale also wrote that the Minnesota Twins have signaled they want to be aggressive in free agency before a looming Dec. 1 lockout, and that bringing back Jeffers is one of their priorities.