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Entering the offseason, only Ryan Jeffers appears as a catcher for the Twins on the 40-man roster. Willson Contreras is out there as a free agent, but it’s quite the cliff when considering the options behind him. The Twins already know they’ll need to replace the production lost when Carlos Correa opts out and signs elsewhere, so looking to make up ground alongside Jeffers could be beneficial.
To what level the Twins show aggressiveness when grabbing another backstop will probably indicate plenty as to how Derek Falvey and Thad Levine see 2023 going for Jeffers. If they believe he can be healthy and truly break out, then a middling veteran could probably get the job done. If they want to push for more, someone like the Athletics Sean Murphy makes some sense.
Murphy will not come cheap, even from a team like the Athletics where cheap is synonymous with the organization. He’s under team control through the 2025 season and just turned 28 years old. Murphy finished fourth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2020, and grabbed a Gold Glove in 2021. His career 114 OPS+ is notable at the position, and his 120 OPS+ in 2022 was impressive with offense being down across the sport.
Oakland could also be motivated to move Murphy as they have plenty of prospect depth behind the plate. Top prospect Tyler Soderstrom can play catcher, as does their 4th overall prospect Daniel Susac. Although Susac has yet to play above Single-A, Soderstrom made it to Triple-A this season as a 20-year-old.
This is Murphy’s first season of arbitration eligibility, and he is projected to receive $3.5 million for 2023 per MLB Trade Rumors. That would be an absolute steal for a guy that has already produced 10.6 fWAR over his career and was worth a career-best 5.1 fWAR in 2022. One of the best players at the position, still under team control, coming available is something Minnesota will likely need to consider.
Another aspect of the Twins front office leaning heavily into a splash at catcher could be the result of their own valuation of the position throughout the farm. Not only are there no other catchers currently on the 40-man, but it’s a position of weakness across the system as a whole. Andrew Bechtold is at Triple-A but not a highly-rated prospect, and despite the solid year for Chris Williams, he falls into the same boat. Both have spent most of their time playing corner infield positions in their careers.
Making a move for Murphy would certainly hurt some of the depth within the Twins system, but it could satisfy a need the organization is dealing with as a whole. Jeffers is younger and under team control through the 2026 season, but allowing him more time to play second fiddle may not be the worst move.
Maybe the Twins would prefer a situation where their top option isn't challenge, but like the situation when Garver was present, maybe there's benefit to a 1A and a 1B. With a lineup that could use punch, exploiting a position often without if could be beneficial. How the front office attacks the backup role should remain something of intrigue this winter.
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