Twins Unlikely to Fire Top Decision-Makers

The Minnesota Twins completed a collapse of epic proportions on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles. It had been coming for a week, but the math is no longer on their side. On Sunday afternoon, their season will officially end without a postseason appearance. Don’t expect there to be many changes at the top though.

Changes are uncertain for the Minnesota Twins

The reality is that the Minnesota Twins need change. Arguably the most important change necessary would be at the ownership level. No matter how awful the Pohlad family is though, they aren’t going to fire themselves. The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman says not to expect ownership to fire key decision makers on the business or baseball side.

“Executive chair Joe Pohlad, and the rest of the Pohlad family’s ownership group, would need to be the ones doing the firing if longtime team president Dave St. Peter were let go from the job he’s held running the business side of the organization since 2002. That seems unlikely despite the team’s alleged monetary losses and ongoing television contract drama.

St. Peter’s counterpart handling the on-field product, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, also appears unlikely to be fired from the position he’s held since 2017. And manager Rocco Baldelli, who falls under Falvey’s purview after being hand-picked by him to lead the dugout in 2019, is widely perceived to be safe as well.”

Aaron Gleeman on changes for the Twins (The Athletic)

Where changes come, if those three are off the table, is something of a question mark. Thad Levine is the Twins general manager, but it’s Falvey who is the final decision maker. Baldelli swapping out his coaching staff would seem to make some sense, but that group has remained somewhat constant.

It is weird to think that Dave St. Peter is off the table. He ran his course a long time ago, had a disastrous offseason full of empty promises, and has been a constant point of consternation for years. Then again, he likely doesn’t he much in the echo chamber he lives in with most of the fanbase blocked on social media.

A “sell, sell, sell” chant breaks out at the #MNTwins Target Field amidst the finality of their collapse tonight.

— Ted (@tlschwerz) September 28, 2024

A change to positional coaches may make sense. Pete Maki took over as the pitching coach when Wes Johnson abruptly departed. Both David Popkins and Rudy Hernandez are hitting coaches, with Derek Shomon operating as the assistant. The Twins path to a step forward is a difficult one. Payroll is expected to be cut again, so this conversation isn’t going away.

Related: Report: Minnesota Twins Could Cut Payroll Again

Fans are rightfully fed up with the Twins

After the Twins consistently raised their payroll in previous seasons, the chose to cut after the best playoff run in decades. It crippled the roster down the stretch, and attendance fell short of expectations. Beyond just screaming at ownership, fans found themselves frustrated with Rocco Baldelli on Friday night as well.

“Fans, I think, have a right to feel almost any way they choose. I believe that. Frankly, any time we haven’t had success here, I’ve heard them in the stadium and that’s part of working in Major League Baseball. That’s part of managing a Major League Baseball team. And I respect the fans. Minnesota Twins fans showed me last year, when we were in the playoffs, amazing things. Things that can change the outcome of a game in favor of their team. You can’t have greater passion than what I saw. If I’m going to accept that and take that and enjoy that, then I’ll also take the criticism when things don’t go well.”

Rocco Baldelli on if he’s bothered by fans booing (The Athletic)

The Twins manager gets it. He has seen some serious success during his time with the Twins, and he has made some very poor decisions as well. He also is the most visible person for fans to voice consternation at. Joe Pohlad doesn’t make appearances, and his last comments fell flat. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are nowhere to be seen as well.

#MNTwins Joe Pohlad last spoke publicly in February on WCCO.

In response to the payroll drop he said, “there are other ways to win" and "they are focusing on other methods of winning currently.”

Minnesota never found those ways.

— Ted (@tlschwerz) September 27, 2024

Remember when the people running this franchise used to actually show their faces? Terry Ryan used to hold open media sessions at lunchtime every day.

Derek Falvey seems to speak up once in a blue moon. Joe Pohlad is likely vacationing in Barbados. Is Thad Levine still alive?!

— Nick Nelson (@NickNelsonMN) September 27, 2024

Arguably the most straightforward place to make a change is at the manager position. If Baldelli was to be let go, the front office would need to nail the next leader for a clubhouse that must turn the page in 2025.

Related: AJ Pierzynski Puts Minnesota Twins on Epic Blast

A pair of cornerstone stars constantly being on the shelf makes it tough to manage through, but this franchise can’t afford to waste a roster filled with youth. The Twins aren’t going to find much goodwill at the ticket window until they right the ship. The way in which they go about handling the offseason is a first and significant step in that process.