Minnesota Twins front office shakeup complete

There have only been four team presidents in Minnesota Twins history. According to reports on Tuesday, Derek Falvey will be the fifth. Current president, Dave St. Peter, who has held the post since 2002 and he celebrated his 35th year with the Twins organization last season.

St. Peter’s first season in Minnesota came in 1990, as an intern. From there, he worked his way all the way up the ladder, to team president. Now, he is stepping down and handing the reins of the franchise over to Derek Falvey. Assistant GM Jeremy Zoll is being promoted to general manager.

Dave St. Peter is stepping down as team president of #MNTwins and moving to an advisory role.

Derek Falvey is being named team president. He'll continue to handle baseball operations while adding business duties.

Jeremy Zoll takes over as general manager.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) November 12, 2024

Thanks Twins Territory. pic.twitter.com/Zr9kqjw9E8

— Dave St. Peter (@TwinsPrez) November 12, 2024

Last season was certainly a tumultuous one for St. Peter. He publicly paraded new broadcast voice Cory Provus who announced the removal of local TV blackouts. Then, the Twins were more difficult to find on TV than any season prior, thanks to Diamond Sports’ bankruptcy proceedings and the MLB’s refusal to sell them the Twins’ streaming rights.

Related: Minnesota Twins Might be Able to Pay Roki Sasaki More Than Most MLB Teams

The television mess, along with a $30 million cut in payroll led to a major Target Field attendance dip, despite the best playoff run in decades just months prior. It’s not the most ideal way to go out, but it seemed to be time for a new voice to take over, but the Twins are selling the idea that this brings more stability to the organization, now that it is up for sale.

St. Peter said this move has been in the works for 2.5 years, and the stability and continuity in leadership is an important factor, particularly as a possible sale looms.

He said now was the right time to balance his life, and because he feels Falvey is ready to move up.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) November 12, 2024

Publicly, Falvey has shown a strong ability to effectively communicate and deliver a powerful message. While taking on the business side of things as well, all messaging for Minnesota will come from one central figure. The Tampa Bay Rays (Matt Silverman) and Toronto Blue Jays (Mark Shapiro) both operate in a similar fashion.

Related: Minnesota Twins PoBO Publicly Welcomes Trade Offers for Carlos Correa

This will be a new test for Falvey however, and one we have not seen him undertake previously. The promotion also cements the reality of just how important Minnesota sees Derek Falvey. Despite the team being up for sale, the Pohlad family clearly values his leadership and direction to an exorbitant degree.

Jeremy Zoll a new name to know for Twins

The Minnesota Twins have employed Jeremy Zoll since 2018. He served as an assistant general manager beginning in 2021 and worked alongside Daniel Adler to support Thad Levine. When Levine departed, there was a vacancy in the general manager position and it made sense for Falvey to align himself with someone he already shared strong communication with.

“Jeremy is more than ready to lead aspects of our baseball operation. His role, his experiences, what he’s done, they speak for themselves. He’s been a tremendous leader in our player development space, around our major-league team. Rocco, the staff, everyone, JZ is the person they go to… He’s naturally already connected to a lot of areas of oversight and has been doing that job of oversight in a lot of those spaces. This (is the) next step in this journey.”

Derek Falvey on Jeremy Zoll’s promotion (The Athletic)

Zoll has a very strong background in player development and has done significant work on the data side of baseball. He has been part of a front office that Falvey created to take the organization forward, and it makes sense for him to continue seeing promotions. This is his third with Minnesota.

Related: Don’t Count the Twins Out on One Top Free Agent

It remains to be seen how publicly prominent Zoll’s new role will make him. There was a period in which Thad Levine was more forward facing, but he had moved predominantly behind the scenes in recent seasons. The continuity for the Twins front office moving forward is certainly key.

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.

Minnesota Twins 2025 broadcast remains a mystery

Last offseason the Minnesota Twins kicked things off by telling fans they would drastically decrease payroll. They followed that up with statements suggesting broadcast availability growing, and blackouts coming to an end. Of course, they only actually followed through on one of those realities. This season the Twins were off the air for three months in their largest market. With the postseason quickly approaching, they haven’t yet figured things out for 2025 either. Twins president Dave St. Peter recently spoke with Front Office Sports about the situation.

“We’ve been on this merry-go-round for two full seasons now. We’re undecided at this point for 2025. We’re reviewing and exploring different options. We’re very interested in finding ways to accelerate an expansion of our reach.”

Dave St. Peter on the television situation

If St. Peter’s comments strike fans as disconcerting, that would be more than fair. Last offseason it was St. Peter who paraded new analyst Cory Provus around promising that blackouts would end. Instead, the Twins took until February to do a deal with a company facing bankruptcy and fans wound up losing with less accessibility and watered down spending.

The Twins will almost certainly be paid less in rights fees for 2025 than they were this season, and the initial outcome was already a $30 million decrease in payroll. The Pohlad family has failed to invest at multiple points this season, and less money coming in probably doesn’t make that better.

Related: Bally Sports North Lives on… For Now

What Minnesota does for 2025 remains to be seen, but Dave St. Peter’s public comments continue to be poorly executed.

Apathy may set in for Minnesota Twins fans

The Twins turned off plenty of fans before playing a game this season. Then they took the product off the air. They haven’t bolstered the roster at several key points, and anything but a sustained postseason run could thwart future interest.

The #MNTwins average attendance from 2001-09 at The Metrdome – 25,884

The #MNTwins average attendance in 2024, at Target Field, coming off the most successful season in 30 years – 24,090

Pohlad's reaping what they sowed. https://t.co/54BJZp75Ca

— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 22, 2024

Minnesota came into the year with a strong core, and several exciting young players. The front office has largely been hamstrung in their efforts to build depth around that group and it’s rearing an ugly head down the stretch. Plenty of Twins fans have tuned out due to accessibility issues as a whole, and the ballpark hasn’t seen an uptick in gate figures that typically follows a strong season.

St. Peter told Front Office Sports he is “hopeful we make a decision by sometime early in the fall.” That would be substantially better than the timeline they followed a year ago, and also provide some clarity for the baseball operations department.

Related: Royals Deadline Moves Paying Dividends, Twins Budget Cuts Proving Costly

Twins fans should be expecting easily accessible ways to watch their team. They should also feel a level of care and commitment in said team by those making the decisions.

And according to Dan Hayes (The Athletic), they came out of those internal meetings determined to find another path to immediate success. Twins’ higher ups, Derek Falvey and Dave St. Peter, along with other internal sources, told Hayes that there will be no rebuild.

After falling $65 million shy of San Francisco’s offer in their bid to retain Correa, the Twins again find themselves in the all-too-familiar territory of having to pivot from their intended target. Believing their division is winnable, the Twins don’t plan to dial it back for the 2023 season, even after losing out on their best chance at acquiring impact talent. — Dan Hayes (The Athletic)

Shortstop Problems

As pointed out in the story, the Twins’ front office is used to offseason pivots because Plan A rarely (if ever), works out for them. The free agency market is thin, at this point, and while there is still some talent available, trades seem like the more likely route.

Finding what they need, if they really want to compete for a division crown, will be easier said than done. They still need a shortstop and Dansby Swanson is the only remaining free agent worth his weight in salary. Unfortunately, Swanson isn’t showing much interest in the Twin Cities and appears destined for Atlanta or Chicago (Cubs).

That means the 2023 Minnesota Twins are likely to write in newly acquired Kyle Farmer into the starting lineup at SS, until Royce Lewis returns from his 2nd ACL tear. That’s not expected to happen until midseason.

Twins Eyeing Remaining Free Agents

According to Hayes, the Twins are targeting (3B) Justin Turner, (DH) Joey Gallo and (OF) AJ Pollock in free agency. All three are decent players but all three are also 30 y/o or older and on the decline. It’s unlikely that acquiring any of the three would move the needle for fans or the Twins’ hopes at a 2023 division title.

Alternatively, a team source said some current free-agent targets include veteran right-handed hitters Justin Turner, Joey Gallo and A.J. Pollock. The Twins also are engaged on the trade market, with president of baseball operations Derek Falvey saying he’ll use the entire offseason up to Opening Day working to improve the roster. — Dan Hayes (The Athletic)

In reality, the front office will look to improve their roster via trade and, there again, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine will face a plethora of obstacles because the farm system doesn’t have a lot to offer. Unless they’re willing to part with a blue chip prospect like Brooks Lee, which is highly unlikely.

Front office looking to “surprise some people”

Nonetheless, the Twins appear intent on trading their way to competitiveness, even if the deals they make send shockwaves through the fanbase. This quote from Dave St. Peter caught my eye.

“I know the offseason isn’t done yet and this will take twists and turns. Some of those moves are probably going to surprise some people. We’ll see where this takes us.” — President Dave St. Peter (via Dan Hayes – The Athletic)

We’ve already seen Luis Arraez’ name floated in trade rumors, along with Max Kepler. But Kepler isn’t going to be the Twins’ main trade chip in any blockbuster deal that will immediately change their outlook in 2023. And it’s difficult to imagine the team getting better by trading away the 2022 AL batting champion.

So that begs the question, what kind of trade ideas could Minnesota’s front office possibly have up their sleeves that would (a) surprise people and (b) make the team immediately competitive next season?

Or are Minnesota Twins fans, again, being asked to buy an offseason package of fraudulent goods from this organization?

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan