Top MLB Insider Floats Possible Rocco Baldelli Replacements…

Last season the Minnesota Twins fell apart down the stretch and they fired their hitting coaches. This season the Twins have fallen apart basically out of the gate. Rocco Baldelli had his 2026 option picked up, but a change somewhere higher has to happen.

The Pohlads aren’t going to fire themselves, and they have since taken the team off the market. Though warranted, it doesn’t seem like they’ll fire the front office either after promoting Derek Falvey. That leaves the manager in a precarious position.

There is a level of blame to be placed on Baldelli, even if he is being used as the scapegoat. Should he be sent packing, a new voice will be needed and Buster Olney is already compiling a list.

Options for Minnesota Twins at manager

As The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman so eloquently put it, “what is going to change if nothing changes?” That’s the question Derek Falvey and Jeremy Zoll have to ask themselves this offseason. Buster Olney knows a change could be coming at manager, and he outlined a pair of options to consider.

Baldelli just had his 2026 option picked up in June, timing that might suggest he’s safe for next season, as Twins ownership could simply plow ahead with him at the helm. But a lot has changed with the Twins since that decision was made: The team unloaded veterans and salary at the trade deadline, angering fans.

Baldelli is concluding his seventh year with the team and could face the same reality that every manager does: If an organization wants to signal change — and the Twins might want to do that after a messy 2025 season — one of the cheapest ways to do that is to fire the manager. Sometime in the next few weeks, Minnesota’s ownership will make that choice.

If the Twins do switch managers, then Derek Shelton — a former Twins coach who was the Pirates’ skipper before he was fired earlier this season — could be among those considered, along with former Twins hitting coach James Rowson (now with the Yankees) and others.

Buster Olney – ESPN

When the Twins picked up Baldelli’s option, they were not yet in a free fall. They went through a deadline fire sale, and the play on the field continues to get worse.

Short of the Pohlads firing Falvey, who they recently promoted to the most senior front office leader in the game, it’s going to fall on the staff. If Baldelli goes, then it’s probably likely all of his assistants do as well.

Related: Rocco Baldelli Takes Responsibility Minnesota Twins Bosses Won’t

Olney tabs a pair of former Minnesota Twins coaches as replacements. Both Derek Shelton and James Rowson worked with the organization while Falvey has been in charge. That lends itself to a quick acclimation process, but it could just be a reflection of greasing the wheel with another level of groupthink.

If there is a recent voice that sounds intriguing, it’s a guy who appeared on former Twins general manager Thad Levine’s Rosters to Rings podcast. Scott Servais has managed some very successful teams, and it’s hard not to think his background may fit.

At some point the Twins have to stop shuffling deck chairs and figure out how to address the actual problems. A manager may do that in the short term, but they are far from the overarching cure.

How do the MN Twins fix this?

“This” is a very complicated set of circumstances. There isn’t just one thing that the Minnesota Twins need to address, and some deep soul searching within the organization has to take place.

Regardless of how the blame is distributed, there’s plenty to go around, and the Twins have gone five seasons struggling to win despite playing in MLB’s weakest, lowest-spending division. And it’s gotten difficult to even point to anything they do particularly well.

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

We saw no roster shakeup this offseason, and there are still too many players from a failed core to open up spots for the future. That can be addressed this offseason, but the vision for the future needs to be more clear. After a failed 2024 stretch run, the Pohlads responded by promoting both Falvey and Zoll.

Related: Royce Lewis Credits This “Change” for Fueling His Hot Streak

If this is the front office to both orchestrate the turnaround and pave a path for the future, then deviating from what they have been doing is a must. They have made the playoffs in just one of the last five seasons, and the immediate excitement from the 2016 front office turnover has all but worn off.

I’m certainly not paid well enough to have all the answers for Minnesota. The ship needs to steer in a different direction though, and soon.