The Minnesota Twins' clubhouse let out a collective sigh of relief as the 5 p.m. trade deadline passed on Monday, but no one was more anxious than catcher Ryan Jeffers. For weeks, he had been at the center of trade speculation—a coveted offensive catcher with a bat that ranks among the best at his position and an impending free agency that made him a logical chip. Even after the Twins signaled they were buyers, the rumors refused to die. “I just want some clarity,” Jeffers said the day before the deadline. “I just want a decision to be done. … I love going to battle with this group. I’ve been a Twin my whole career. I love this group we have.”

When the clock struck five, Jeffers’ wish was granted. He remained a Twin, as did Trevor Larnach, another player whose name had bubbled up in trade talks. The front office did make one move on deadline day, dipping into the bullpen market by acquiring right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman from the Toronto Blue Jays. But the trade did not require a single change to the major league roster. Instead, the Twins parted with three prospects—left-handed starter Dasan Hill, righty John Klein, and infielder Dameury Pena—along with international bonus pool money.

Hoffman, 33, has been a different pitcher since the calendar flipped to June. After a shaky start that cost him the closer’s role, he has posted a 1.21 ERA, lowering his season mark to 3.94 with 75 strikeouts in 48 innings. The 11-year veteran was an All-Star last season while with Philadelphia, where he saved 33 games. But he might be best remembered for the save that got away: allowing a solo homer to Miguel Rojas in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series, a game the Dodgers eventually won in extra innings for their second consecutive title.

Hoffman’s journey back to the Twins is a twist of baseball fate. He signed a minor-league deal with Minnesota in spring training 2023 but failed to make the club. He opted out, landed with the Phillies, and became an All-Star. Now he returns to a bullpen that already added Tommy Nance just before the All-Star break, and left-handed reliever A.J. Minter and starter Dean Kremer over the weekend—all acquired for prospects.

Among the prospects sent to Toronto, Dasan Hill was the highest ranked—No. 7 in the Twins’ system per MLB Pipeline—but the 20-year-old lefty struggled at Class-A Advanced Cedar Rapids with a 5.80 ERA and 37 walks in 45 innings. John Klein, a Brooklyn Park native and the organization’s No. 17 prospect, had appeared in three major league games this season. Dameury Pena, also 20 and playing at Cedar Rapids, went unranked.

In total, the Twins made four trades leading up to the deadline, a far quieter approach than last year’s fire sale, when the front office orchestrated nine deals—seven on deadline day alone—that gutted the roster. That reshaped group now sits at 56-57, four games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central and one game back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final wild card spot. FanGraphs gives them a 27.1% chance of reaching the postseason.

For Jeffers and the rest of the tight-knit group, the deadline brought not a breakup, but a reaffirmation. The Twins kept their core intact, adding a veteran arm to a bullpen that needed reinforcement, all while betting on the chemistry that has carried them through a roller-coaster season.