MN Twins Trying to Interview Boston Red Sox Coach

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Ramon Vazquez
Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Entering Tuesday, outside of an insider rumor here and some intriguing names floated there, all was mostly quiet regarding the Minnesota Twins’ offseason search for a new manager. That’s probably not a good thing, being Rocco Baldelli was fired over two weeks ago.

Maybe team president Derek Falvey is playing his cards close to his chest. Then again, even he seemed to lack a sense of direction when speaking with reporters recently. More than likely, the Twins will opt for an inexperienced manager, who otherwise wouldn’t get such an opportunity, at this point in their career.

Thus, it may not be the Twins’ top priority to work through their managerial search quickly. At the end of the day, especially when searching for a diamond in the rough without a budget, what matters is that you get it right, not how quickly you make a move.

Minnesota Twins first interviewee is…

Nonetheless, some actual news rose from the ashes of Target Field this morning, when Jon Heyman (NY Post, MLB Network) reported that Minnesota is seeking permission to interview their bench coach, Ramon Vazquez.

Not only is this the first reported attempt at an interview, but it’s the first time we’ve really seen the Twins officially attached to anyone for their vacant manager job.

Ramon Vazquez is a 49-year-old Puerto Rican that spent nine years in the big leagues, before he officially moved onto professional coaching in 2014, as a minor league instructor with the Houston Astros. He played 696 regular season games between two different leagues and six different teams.

Ramon Vazquez, the big leaguer…

Vazquez started his Major League career in 2001 with the Seattle Mariners, who drafted him six years earlier (1995) out of Indian Hills Community College in Centerville, IA.

But after all that time working through the farm system, the 5-11 lefty bat (righty arm) lasted just 17 games (8 starts), before the rookie was traded to San Diego and sent to the minors.

He was back up the next season, where from 2002-2004, Ramon Vazquez played 296 games for the Padres, where he slashed .264/.328/.350 across 2.5 seasons, before being dealt to the Boston Red Sox at the ’04 trade deadline, who let him walk that offseason after an underwhelming 66 plate appearances (.197 BA, .464 OPS).

The utility infielder and career .254 hitter also played two seasons in Cleveland (2005-2006), before finishing his big league career with two years as a Ranger and one last 101-game season with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2009).

Vazquez played mostly shortstop, while moving from team to team for nearly a decade, but he also played lots of third and second base. According to baseball-reference, the career .254 hitter (.678 OPS) wasn’t very good in the dirt, no matter which of the three positions he played, totalling a -35 defensive runs saved during his career.

Ramon Vazquez, the coach (turned MN Twins manager?)

This season, Ramon Vazquez was a bench coach for the Boston Red Sox, under manager Alex Cora. The Red Sox made the 2025 playoffs as a wild card team with a respectable 89-73 record, before being bounced in a three-game series against their hated rival, the New York Yankees.

Vazquez’ background is in player development, which seems like a key trait that the Minnesota Twins are looking for in their next manager. With the Red Sox (2018-present), Vazquez has worked as an analyst, scout, quality control coordinator and bench coach. In the minors, he has coached both hitting and infield.

Ramon Vazquez even has one managerial win under his belt. He was named manager for one game this season, when Cora was away for his daughter’s graduation (according to wikipedia).

With just one publicly identified candidate thus far, it’s difficult to decipher exactly what the Minnesota Twins may be looking for. Vazquez would obviously be a first-time manager, and that much seems like a near-certainty for them to target.

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