Twins Reporter Floats Old School Manager Candidate
Thus far the Minnesota Twins haven’t made a significant amount of progress on the managerial hunt. Rocco Baldelli was fired at the conclusion of the season, and the list of new names has materialized.
We know the team has scheduled to speak with Nick Punto, James Rowson, Derek Shelton, Ramon Vazquez, and Vance Wilson. That group, save for Shelton, has a grand total of zero experience.
It seems that may be the direction that Derek Falvey goes, and it would be a way for ownership to save money. That doesn’t mean calls for an experienced manager haven’t been suggested.
Call for Joe Maddon to manage Minnesota Twins
While the current group is green and would be looking to make their mark on a team, Joe Maddon has won a World Series, two pennants, and been named Manager of the Year three different times. That’s why Skor North’s Judd Zulgad suggests he should be the choice.
The Twins need a reset and bringing in a guy who worked for Baldelli and Falvey is far from a reset.
I doubt the Pohlad family will have any real involvement in this hire — other than rubber stamping it — but they should. They should realize that Falvey’s first year of running baseball and business operations was a disaster. They also should realize that Falvey’s title doesn’t mean he doesn’t need guidance.
And that is why the Twins need to hire a manager with experience. A manager who can connect with players and help a struggling front office that has received no favors from cost-cutting owners.
This is why the Twins should hire Joe Maddon.
Judd Zulgad
It’s not hard to see Zulgad’s logic, and his assessment that a Falvey retread would be uninspiring is spot on. Falvey hired Rocco Baldelli because he thought he was the right choice. Both Shelton and Rowson were available to him at that time, served in lesser roles on the staff, and left for other positions.
Minnesota could think outside the box and dip into a fresh candidate like Punto, or check out the college scene as the San Francisco Giants appear willing to do. Going with someone they previously passed over, or had ties to, seems hollow.
Maddon has 19 years of managerial experience under his belt. The 71-year-old owns a .532 winning percentage and has managed over 2,500 regular season games. He has been to the postseason in seven different seasons, and he experienced a financially similar situation in Tampa Bay.
If the Twins want to drastically flip the script, then Maddon as their man makes a good amount of sense.
Joe Maddon wouldn’t want the MN Twins
Looking at who Falvey has immediately reached out to, and a likely desire by the Pohlads to save money while paying Baldelli’s 2026 contract, Maddon seems like a far-fetched fit. The Minnesota front office was largely in control of Baldelli’s operating procedures, and it’s why he was made their fall guy. Maddon just recently explained this idea on Ken Rosenthal’s Foul Territory podcast.
“I think front offices, a lot of times, would prefer that. They would prefer having somebody with less, I don’t want to say preconceived notions, but experience to the point where you’re very opinionated. As opposed to the guy that doesn’t have more innate information experience that might interfere with their analytical process. You’re going to be loud about it. You’re going to tell them what you think when you think it…People are looking for somebody they can control as opposed to empower.”
Joe Maddon – Foul Territory TV
That right there is something that would seem to be a substantial hurdle for both Falvey and Maddon to bridge. The Minnesota Twins needed to overhaul their front office and non-existent baseball operations department in the wake of Terry Ryan’s dismissal. Where Falvey, Jeremy Zoll, and Josh Kalk have taking things to this point almost neuters the dugout.
If Maddon were to feel like Falvey was interested in his services, and wanted to empower him to make changes for the franchise, then he’d be a viable candidate. Until Minnesota decides to show they are interested in anything but new candidates or the most economical ones, this marriage won’t ever get off the ground.
Expect the Twins to pick their next manager in the coming weeks. Maddon hasn’t been named a candidate, and neither has former Minnesota legend Torii Hunter.
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