The role of bench coach, however, has yet to be filled. In Major League Baseball, bench coaches are usually second in-command to the manager so it’s a very important position to fill. And unsurprisingly, it sounds like the Twins are going to choose more familiarity. Jayce Tingler is gone, and Minnesota’s managerial runner up could be the answer.

James Rowson in play for Minnesota Twins bench coach

Former bench coach, Jayce Tingler, is headed to the San Francisco Giants, to fill the same role for Tony Vitello. His replacement in Minnesota, if the Twins have it their way (per Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic), will be Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, who was the hitting coach here from 2017-2019.

“I have heard from multiple people that the the Twins would like James Rowson, who finished runner up for this job and was also a finalist in 2019 when the job went to Baldelli, they would like James Rowson to be the bench coach. He’s very close to Shelton also.”

Aaron Gleeman – Gleeman and The Geek podcast

James Rowson was a front-runner to land the MN Twins manager job, before it was awarded to Derek Shelton. Hiring one of his runners-up to now be second in command would probably be weird in most situations.

However, team president Derek Falvey and Shelton both have have a personal relationship with Rowson, so the hope is that he’d be able to look past that reality. Being promoted from hitting coach to bench coach would be another step in James Rowson’s coaching progression too, which has to be appealing

If the Minnesota Twins wanted to show a willingness to change this offseason, they certainly have not shown it with these manager/coaching hires. Then again, par for the course is what the Twins are known for.

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.

Hours later, that same MLB Network and New York Post reporter, Jon Heyman, put out two more realistic candidates that the MN Twins have touched base, both of whom will sound very familiar to the local fanbase.

Minnesota Twins trying to bring the Bomba Squad back?

According to Heyman and his confidant at The Post, Joel Sherman, Falvey and his front office have received permission from the New York Yankees, to interview their hitting coach, James Rowson, for their vacant manager position.

The Yankees have granted the Twins permission to speak with Rowson about their vacant managerial position, league sources confirmed to The Post…on Tuesday.

The upbeat, well-regarded 49-year-old remains a popular figure in Minnesota, as he spent plenty of time catching up with members of his former organization when the Yankees visited Target Field in September.

NY Post

Rowson — who has never been an MLB manager — took over as the Bronx Bombers’ hitting coach before the 2024 season. Prior to that, he was the assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers (2023), a temporary job he held for one season, after being let go as Miami Marlins bench coach, a job he held for two seasons, from 2020-2022.

For four seasons from 2017 to 2019, however, James Rowson made a name for himself as the hitting coach of the Minnesota Twins Bomba Squad, which set an MLB record for team home runs his final year on the job, before he was hired away for a promotion in Miami.

Twins speaking to Bomba Squad coaches James Rowson and Derek Shelton

Coincidentally, the other candidate the Twins have been in contact with, according to Heyman, is another assistant coach who left after that 2019 season, Derek Shelton. The now 55-year-old served as Rocco Baldelli’s bench coach from 2018-2019, before he was hired away to be manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Former Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Red Sox bench coach Ramon Vazquez are among the other candidates for the job, which opened up when the Twins fired Rocco Baldelli following their 70-92 season.

NY Post

Related: ALCS Favorite Thankful for Fired Twins Coach

Shelton held that position for the start of five seasons, until the Pirates fired him 38 games into 2025. Clearly, he wasn’t the biggest problem in Pittsburgh, being the Pirates went on to finish with a 71-91 record, just one game better than the MN Twins’ 72-90.

As manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Derek Shelton went 306-440. Before he worked for the Minnesota Twins for two seasons, Shelton coached in the Cleveland (2005-2009), Tampa Bay (2010-2016) and Toronto (2017) organizations.

Interesting enough, both Rowson and Shelton were seriously considered for the Twins manager job back in 2018, before they landed on Baldelli. Both guys stayed/came on as assistants — advanced their careers from there — and now find themselves in the same situation.

It would be easy to categorize Baldelli as a player’s manager, and traditionally after a firing, clubs go in the opposite direction with their next leader. It isn’t going to be that cut and dry for the Twins though, as they reportedly have identified the goal for their next skipper.

Player development is a must for MN Twins new manager

A few years ago, moving from a manager like Rocco Baldelli to someone like Doug Mientkiewicz might make sense. The former Twins first basemen has a reputation as a “red ass”, but the current regime chose not to keep him as a manager in the minors. Even though he won games, his style didn’t align with their philosophy. That same approach isn’t what they’re aiming for at the major league level, either.

One of the intended goals of bringing on a new manager is to hire someone well-versed in player development, Falvey said.

“I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all to this,” Falvey said. “We have to be very open-minded. … If you look around baseball, and you look at the postseason right now, there are all kinds of different managers. There are lots of very successful managers that have come from different backgrounds, different playing experiences, different coaching experiences, even just non-coaching experiences in and outside of the game.”

The Athletic

A strong background in player development, though, could hold importance. The Twins didn’t see many of their young hitters take a step forward this year. Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner didn’t hit as well as they did in past seasons. Brooks Lee has yet to establish himself. Edouard Julien and Jose Miranda seemingly fell out of the team’s plans.

“If you’re in a market like ours and you’re going to bring up players, you’re going to bring up guys that aren’t quite there yet,” Falvey said. “They need to be given runway, need to be given development and need to grow at this level.”

Star Tribune

Both Dan Hayes of The Athletic and Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune suggest that the Twins are looking for someone adept in player development. This is interesting because that doesn’t typically fall on the shoulders of a manager.

Managers are typically a reflection of the coaches around them from a performance standpoint. They are tasked with pulling levers, but they aren’t traditionally going to be directly credited for results.

It seems as the Twins want someone who has accomplished those feats previously before installing them as the leader of their clubhouse. If that is the case, someone like Torii Hunter could certainly be cast aside due to a lack of previous coaching experience.

If this is the channel for the Twins, then previous managers or high-level coaches all fit the bill. That goes back to the group of previously connected names like Derek Shelton, James Rowson, and Brandon Hyde.

New Twins manager will need to overhaul staff

While Rocco Baldelli was the name publicly announced as having been let go on Monday, the coaching staff is likely to take the fall as well. That could mean Tommy Watkins, Hank Conger, Jayce Tingler, and plenty of others are on the outs.

Whether any of them are ultimately retained remains to be seen. The reality for a newly identified manager is that they have to get the support staff right too.

Minnesota has looked to both the professional and college ranks when filling out the leaders of their clubhouse. That should be expected to remain the case going forward. The collective must be aligned on the direction and decisions for the future though.

No matter who is leading the charge, 2026 doesn’t look entirely promising. The more impact the next group of leaders can have on that, the better.

Someone had to take the fall for a 92-loss season. Ownership already decided to halt the sale of the team and instead invite new limited partners to buy down their debt. Derek Falvey was recently promoted to one of the highest ranking front office roles across the sport. Fault wasn’t going to be felt there.

With Baldelli being ousted though, the powers at the top must now find a new name. There have been candidates discussed previously, but we’re now starting to see some floated by local sources.

Bobby Nightengale offers new names for MN Twins manager role

Earlier this summer Buster Olney highlighted some candidates that could be considered to take over a vacancy at manager for the Minnesota Twins. Easy ties are made to former hitting coach James Rowson, and former bench coach Derek Shelton. The Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale mentions both of them as well.

The more intriguing names are those that hadn’t been previously considered or stated publicly. Seven of those exist in Nightengale’s mind.

Of them, there are four former managers. Skip Schumacher seems to be in line for the Texas Rangers job after they parted ways with future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy. Both Hyde and Ross were out of the dugout and clubhouse this season. Bell formerly managed the Cincinnati Reds, and his brother Mike was the Twins bench coach in 2020 prior to his death.

Albernaz is a name that ESPN has also brought up, along with Kai Correa, as potential matches from the Guardians franchise. Falvey’s connections there continue to run deep, and he could look to poach from the AL Central Division champions.

Lombard was a candidate for the White Sox managerial job last season. Speaking of the White Sox, former Twins catcher Drew Butera was released from their coaching staff on Monday, and could be a candidate as well. So too could current bench coach Jayce Tingler.

Of the names Nightengale mentions though, it’s Torii Hunter that continues to generate some real steam.

Torii Hunter as the Minnesota Twins manager?

Hunter played 19 years at the Major League level. He has yet to manage in any capacity, but has worked in a coaching capacity with both the Twins and the Angels. At 50 years old, he could be the next former player to immediately step into the role.

The Twins Hall of Famer, a five-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner, has expressed interest in managing. Hunter, 50, was a popular player inside and outside the clubhouse, and he’s worked as a special assistant in the Los Angeles Angels front office for the last two years. Hunter, who works with Twins third baseman Royce Lewis during the offseason, interviewed to be the Angels manager in 2023.

Bobby Nightengale – Star Tribune

Rocco Baldelli was seen as a player’s manager and typically a firing then swings the pendulum the other way. I’d guess Hunter would fall more in line as a player’s manager as well, but shouting and yelling can fall on deaf ears.

The reality is that great managers can carry messages between the front office and roster while effectively communicating in a way both sides are receptive to hearing. Hunter has the experience working with both sides, and he has been an integral part of generating positive clubhouse cultures as well.

Although Hunter does not have previous managerial experience, his fit is one that continues to gain steam.

Torii Hunter or Justin Morneau are the only right answers. https://t.co/YGgtoJfRuT

— Coach Trev (@trevorplouffe) September 29, 2025

torii hunter pic.twitter.com/z8MBuJrHAa

— parker hageman (@HagemanParker) September 30, 2025

The last series against the Angels, Torii Hunter was in the dugout for Los Angeles and comments were made about getting him back involved at the highest level for the Twins.

I don't really care about previous managerial experience, and I'd prefer not to hire a retread.

If…

— Ted (@tlschwerz) September 30, 2025

Going with Hunter would be taking a risk. The Cleveland Guardians did so with a 39-year-old Stephen Vogt last season though, and he won 92 games while finishing first in the division. This season they repeated, and overcame a 12.5 game deficit to chase down the Detroit tigers.

Previous experience shouldn’t be the lone determining factor, and Hunter has been intrigued by different managerial jobs previously. He’s currently engrained in the Angels system, and makes sense as a successor to Ron Washington. Minnesota may be best served to poach him first.

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.