Twins Zeroing In on Next Managerial Hire

The Minnesota Twins fired Rocco Baldelli after a 70-92 season in 2025. Derek Falvey is tasked with finding the next leading for his big league club. Organization legend Torii Hunter turned down the club before ever actually being a consideration.

Former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais was the latest name to be presented, and he’s now among the final group to be considered. It seems likely that Minnesota will name a manager within the next week, and they have a final group of four.

Final countdown for Minnesota Twins manager

The Minnesota Twins have interviewed a handful of candidates for their managerial opening. Dan Hayes and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic are reporting that the group under consideration is now down to four.

Several weeks into their managerial search, the Minnesota Twins appear to have reduced the field of candidates to four.

After multiple rounds of discussions, the search appears to be focused on a group that includes ex-Twins bench coach and Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton, New York Yankees hitting coach James Rowson (who held the same title with the Twins from 2018-19), former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais and Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, according to multiple league sources.

Sources believe the Twins are leaning toward hiring a candidate with whom they’re familiar. Given their previous experience working with Twins president Derek Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll, Shelton and Rowson appear to be the strongest candidates.

The Athletic

Both Shelton and Rowson have previously worked for the Minnesota Twins. The former was Rocco Baldelli’s bench coach before leaving to manage the Pittsburgh Pirates. The later worked as the hitting coach before taking that same role with the New York Yankees.

It’s understanding that Derek Falvey would have a desire to hire a person that he has previously employed. That said, either Shelton or Rowson should be seen as an underwhelming outcome in that each has previously worked in the organization and not been thought highly enough of to supplant the man in charger.

If the Twins were to employ either Rowson or Shelton as their manager, it’s possible their voice would hold more weight as the leader of the clubhouse. It’s also entirely plausible that an organization retread will do little to push the envelope, and Falvey will simply be hiring someone to push his message onto the field.

Updates pouring in for MN Twins managerial search

Both Ramon Vazquez and Vance Wilson were initially part of the Minnesota Twins managerial search. They are no longer under consideration, and former piranha Nick Punto has experienced the same fate.

39-year-old infielder Ryan Flaherty is a new name to enter the fold. He last played in 2019 with the Guardians, but was made part of the search following Chicago’s playoff exit.

Flaherty, who joined the search after the Milwaukee Brewers eliminated the Cubs in the National League Division Series, also interviewed well, according to a team source. An infielder for eight seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians, Flaherty was a coach for the Padres and a finalist for that job that ultimately went to Mike Shildt. He was named Craig Counsell’s bench coach in Chicago for the 2024 season and has been with the Cubs since.

The Athletic

Like Baldelli, Flaherty would be a green hire. Servais is the opposite and has a track record of success with the Seattle Mariners. If there’s a former manager who has been tied to the Twins opening that has a level of intrigue, then Servais is it.

The World Series started on Friday night and Major League Baseball doesn’t like announcements on game days. That won’t stop Minnesota from finding a way to make a hiring in between action.