Orioles Acquire Payton Eeles, Twins Get Alex Jackson
A couple of days after the 40-man roster protection deadline, the Twins and Orioles made a deal that gives Minnesota a backup catcher and Baltimore another infield prospect.
The Twins landed veteran backup catcher Alex Jackson, while the Orioles picked up infielder Payton Eeles. Eeles ranked 24th on the Twins’ Top 30 during the season. He is coming off an injury-plagued 2025 season after he had a breakout 2024 season. Eeles wasn’t even signed when the 2024 season began, as he was in the Atlantic League. He ended up playing at three different levels from Low-A to Triple-A in 2025, hitting 306/.435/.497 overall.
Eeles missed the first two months of the 2025 season recovering from a knee injury. When he returned, he hit .261/.382/.332 largely at Triple-A St. Paul.
Eeles is an aggressive basestealer despite having average speed after his knee injury. He can play solid defense at second base, while being playable at third base and in the outfield.
Eeles is an on-base machine in part because he’s 5-foot-5 and hits from a crouch. He has very modest power, but he makes plenty of contact. In an ideal scenario, he develops into a Caleb Durbin-type player.
Jackson moves from a team with Adley Rutschman and rookie Samuel Basallo at catcher to an organization without a clear alternative at backup. Jackson has never had 200 plate appearances in an MLB season, but this year could give him a chance to reach that mark.
