Twins get backup catcher Alex Jackson from Baltimore in trade for Payton Eeles

The Twins have an opening for backup catcher next season, and they might have filled the vacancy Friday after a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.

Looking to replace free agent Christian Vázquez, the Twins completed a trade to acquire catcher Alex Jackson for minor league infielder Payton Eeles. The Twins will be Jackson’s eighth organization, and his fifth since 2023.

Jackson, who turns 30 on Christmas, hit .220 with five homers and eight RBI in 36 games with the Orioles last season, which was, by far, his best offensive season. He’s a career .153 batter in 160 major league games with 11 homers and 32 RBI, though he’s maintained a solid defensive reputation. He tossed out seven of the 23 runners who attempted to steal on him last season.

He was expendable to the Orioles because he was their third catcher, and he is eligible for arbitration where he is projected to command a salary around $1.5 million.

The Twins wanted to add a veteran catcher behind starter Ryan Jeffers, who is expected to receive the bulk of the playing time next year. Mickey Gasper and Jhonny Pereda remain on the Twins’ 40-man roster, but neither was considered a strong option for a backup role, particularly with such a young pitching staff.

“Backup catcher is an area of need,” Twins president Derek Falvey said last week at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas. “We’ve talked about, how can we get more creative in terms of adding defensive value without taking too much offensive value away? We weren’t as good a defensive team as we needed to be.”

To make room for Jackson on the 40-man roster, center fielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was designated for assignment.

The Twins had eight arbitration-eligible players — Jeffers, Jackson, Justin Topa, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Trevor Larnach, Royce Lewis and Cole Sands — and they opted to keep them all ahead of a 4 p.m. deadline to guarantee contracts for the 2026 season.

Topa agreed to a one-year, $1.225 million contract for next year, avoiding arbitration. Topa will carry a $1 million base salary for 2026, a person familiar with the deal told the Minnesota Star Tribune, with a $5 million mutual option for 2027 that includes a $225,000 buyout that can rise based on performance bonuses.

The Twins declined Topa’s $2 million club option earlier this month and paid a $225,000 buyout.

Larnach was the player whose roster spot seemed the most uncertain, but the Twins held onto him despite his potential to command a $5 million salary through arbitration. Larnach played in a team-high 142 games while hitting .250 with a .727 OPS, but the team has a glut of lefthanded-hitting outfielders with Matt Wallner, Alan Roden and James Outman, along with prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez.