With Christian Vazquez’s contract finally off the books, the Twins have been searching for a new catcher behind starter Ryan Jeffers. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Minnesota got their man in Caratini
who agreed to a two year, $14M deal.
Caratini, 32, has spent the past two season with the Astros backing up Yainer Diaz where he managed slightly above-average offensive production, hitting .263/.329/.406 with 20 total home runs, 76 RBI, and a 108 wRC+. He appeared in 114 games for Houston in 2025, though just 49 of those came behind the plate. Injuries to Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes left them in need of coverage at 1B and DH, where Caratini was a mainstay down the stretch as the Astros fought to stay in the playoff race. Caratini actually hasn’t caught more than 55 games since 2022, meaning he should firmly slot in behind Jeffers while providing some coverage for 2027 should they lose their starting backstop in free agency.
With the 40 man roster full, the Twins will need to make a roster move before the signing can be made official. There’s several fringe candidates who could be designated for assignment to make room, but fellow catcher Alex Jackson will likely need to be moved either now or during Spring Training. Jackson is out of minor league options and the Twins are very unlikely to carry three catchers on their active roster with how they like to manage playing time and platoon their lefties.
