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.

The only trait most are expecting in the Twins’ next skipper is that he’ll be cheap, and more than likely, inexperienced. But the most recent addition to their list of candidates, according to the Star Tribune’s LaVelle E. Neal, pushes back on that assumption.

Scott Servais to interview for Minnesota Twins manager job

Scott Servais has nearly a decade of managerial experience. He was most recently dismissed by the Seattle Mariners, where he managed from 2016-2024, before being fired last offseason. He was then replaced by Dan Wilson, who now has Seattle on the precipice of their first World Series appearance.

In his article, recently posted at StarTribune.com, Neal also floats Vance Wilson, who was connected to the job by other reporters recently too. LaVelle’s mention of Servais, however, is the first.

Add Vance Wilson and Scott Servais to the list of managerial candidates as the Twins continue to search for a replacement for Rocco Baldelli, who was fired three weeks ago...Like Wilson, Servais, 58, is a former catcher, having played 11 seasons in the majors.

Star Tribune

Before he managed, Servais played 820 games over 11 major league seasons, posing a career .245/.306/.375 slash line. As the Mariners manager, he owned a 680-642 record (.514 winning percentage) and led them to an the ALDS appearance in 2022.

Interestingly, Servais was a recent guest on former Minnesota Twins general manager Thad Levine’s Rosters to Rings podcast. He represented himself incredibly well on the episode. It’s well worth a listen for anyone interested in hearing from a candidate to be the Twins’ next manager.

"Everybody says we need to have more leaders in our clubhouse. I don't think we do a good enough job of creating, and teaching, and coaching up leadership." – Scott Servais on @RostersToRings https://t.co/9qaLrxK7xg

— Ted (@tlschwerz) September 10, 2025

Servais spent 2025 working with the San Diego Padres as a special assistant. He joins Nick Punto as candidates to interview with for the Twins opening after spending this season in San Diego.

Expect Minnesota to name a new manager sometime before the end of the month. Rocco Baldelli was hired in 2018 on October 24. A second, and final, interview could come for a candidate next week.

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.