The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.SEATTLE — With his name constantly in trade rumors, Ryan Jeffers is doing his best to screen out the noise and distractions. But as the trade deadline nears, his bat remains the loudest.The Minnesota Twins catcher continued an impressive return from a broken hamate bone in Friday night’s 5-3 comeback victory over the Seattle Mariners, providing critical insurance late with a solo homer.Ironically, a round-tripper that undoubtedly added to his trade value also strengthened the position of a team trying to retain Jeffers, moving the club into a tie for the final American League wild-card spot.Since rejoining the lineup last month, Jeffers has a .893 OPS with five extra-base hits and 10 RBIs in 50 plate appearances. And while he’s discussed it previously, Jeffers, a free agent after this season, would be thrilled to no longer hear about Monday’s 5 p.m. CT trade deadline.
Ry made it fly‼️ pic.twitter.com/JWMfGsSVkW
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 1, 2026“There’s just so much unknown, and question marks around what’s going to happen,” Jeffers said. “There is no planning for it. Stuff seems to come together late.”Jeffers is hitting .293/.396/.539 with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs in 198 plate appearances.A team in the middle of a playoff chase wouldn’t usually consider trading Jeffers. But Jeffers isn’t in most cases due to his impending free agency and the expectation he’ll receive a healthy long-term contract in the offseason.The thinking is Jeffers, 29, will be wearing another team’s uniform next season. With him performing well, the Twins should capitalize on his trade value and peddle him to the highest bidder.
