Tom Pohlad used his end-of-season press conference to make the Twins’ direction pretty clear: Jeremy Zoll and Derek Shelton are staying put.
Zoll, the team’s general manager, and Shelton, the manager hired last offseason, both joined Pohlad at Tuesday’s media session. That alone told the story. But Pohlad went further, saying the three of them are “philosophically aligned” and that Zoll will continue to run baseball operations with multiple assistants reporting to him.
For Zoll, that’s the clearest sign yet that his brief stint steering baseball operations isn’t just a stopgap. He was elevated quickly after the Twins and Derek Falvey parted ways less than a month before spring training, and there had been real uncertainty about whether Minnesota might look outside the organization for a new leader after the season. Instead, the Twins are keeping the structure intact.
Shelton’s situation was less murky, but his presence at the press conference still reinforced that he’s not going anywhere either. He was brought in under a previous regime, when Falvey was leading baseball operations, so there had been at least some room for speculation about whether the new leadership would want to make a change. That doesn’t appear to be the case.
SKOR North’s Declan Goff, who attended the press conference, confirmed that both men are staying in place and noted Pohlad’s comments about alignment and structure.
#MNTwins owner Tom Pohlad assures that Derek Shelton, Jeremy Zoll and him himself are “philosophically aligned” going forward. In terms of a front office structure, Zoll will remain in charge with multiple assistants, still TBD, reporting to him.
- Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) September 29, 2026
There was one notable coaching change already this offseason: pitching coach Pete Maki and assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez were fired earlier this week. Maki had been in the role since 2022, back when Rocco Baldelli was managing the club. With that opening now on the table, Shelton will have input on who takes over the pitching staff.
Pohlad also made a point of saying he wants the Twins to be competitive next year. That’s a familiar line, but this time he paired it with a more direct acknowledgment that the payroll has to rise if the team is going to get back to the playoffs. He said he’s prepared to give the front office the resources it needs to improve the roster.
Fans have heard versions of that promise before, and plenty will wait to see what it looks like in practice. Still, the message from Tuesday was straightforward: the Twins are keeping their leadership group together, and Pohlad says he knows the spending has to follow if the results are going to change.
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