Twins’ Turmoil: After Years of Turnover, Accountability Now Points Upward
For the better part of a decade, the Minnesota Twins have operated under a revolving door of change-managers, coaches, executives-all reshuffled or removed in the name of progress. But as the dust settles from yet another round of departures, there’s a growing sense that the real issue isn’t in the dugout or the front office.
It’s higher up. And for the first time, the list of people left to blame is running dangerously thin.
Let’s walk through the key moves that have defined this stretch of instability-and why they all seem to lead back to the same place.
Derek Falvey’s Exit: The Final Domino
The biggest shakeup came last week when Derek Falvey, the president of baseball operations, and the Twins agreed to “mutually part ways.” That phrase might sound amicable, but the subtext was clear: Falvey and executive leadership-namely, Tom Pohlad-weren’t aligned on the future of the franchise.
Falvey was more than just a front office figurehead. He was the architect of the Twins’ current baseball model and, at times, the public face of ownership decisions. As payrolls tightened and the team leaned into short-term fixes over long-term vision, Falvey often played the role of shield for ownership choices.
Now, with Falvey out, the last executive who had any real autonomy over roster construction is gone. And that raises a critical question: If Falvey wasn’t calling the shots on the big-picture spending and direction, who was?
Joe Pohlad’s Ouster: A Family Affair
Just weeks before Falvey’s departure, the Twins made another internal move-this one even closer to home. Joe Pohlad, who had been positioned as the next-generation leader of the franchise, was pushed aside as his older brother took the reins.
The move wasn’t accompanied by a bold new vision or a renewed financial commitment. Instead, it concentrated power further within the family, while offering up yet another name to explain why things weren’t working. When even a Pohlad can be deemed expendable, it doesn’t scream strategy-it signals uncertainty.
Rocco Baldelli: Respected, Then Removed
Back in September, the Twins parted ways with manager Rocco Baldelli after two underwhelming seasons. On paper, it looked like a standard baseball decision. But dig a little deeper, and it felt more like a top-down call than a move driven by baseball operations.
Baldelli wasn’t just a manager-he was a respected clubhouse presence and a steadying force through both good times and bad. He helped guide the Twins to postseason success with limited resources, earning admiration across the league. His dismissal seemed to bypass Falvey, suggesting ownership had already started to assert more direct control.
In hindsight, Baldelli’s firing might have been the first crack in the foundation that eventually gave way to Falvey’s exit.
Carlos Correa: From Cornerstone to Cost-Cutting
When the Twins signed Carlos Correa, it was supposed to mark a new era-a sign that Minnesota was ready to spend like a contender. But Correa’s tenure was marred by inconsistency and injuries. He flashed moments of brilliance, but they were too few and far between to justify the $30 million annual price tag.
By July 2025, the Twins had seen enough. They moved on, agreeing to pay the Astros $10 million a year just to take him off their hands.
The move saved Minnesota around $20 million annually-but that money hasn’t clearly been reinvested in the roster. Correa became another high-profile name associated with disappointment, but again, the root issues-spending constraints and unclear direction-remained untouched.
Thad Levine: A Convenient Fall Guy
When the 2024 season unraveled, someone in the front office had to take the fall. That someone was general manager Thad Levine. Sure, some of the team’s struggles could be traced back to moves made during his tenure, but the problems ran deeper than one executive.
Player development had stalled. Organizational depth had thinned.
Budgetary limitations had tightened their grip. Levine’s exit made for a clean headline but did little to address the systemic issues that had taken root over the years.
David Popkins: A Tale of Two Teams
Before Levine’s departure, the Twins cleaned house on the hitting side, firing a trio of coaches, including hitting coach David Popkins. The offense had collapsed in the second half of 2024, and the team pointed to poor preparation and approach.
Popkins didn’t stay unemployed for long. He joined the Blue Jays, helped guide them to a World Series run in 2025, and was named MLB Coach of the Year by Baseball America.
That kind of turnaround doesn’t just happen by accident-it underscores how much environment and roster construction matter. Coaching wasn’t the problem in Minnesota.
The system was.
And when Popkins’s replacement, Matt Borgschulte, was also let go at the end of 2025, it only reinforced the notion that the Twins were chasing symptoms, not solving the disease.
The Bigger Picture: A Leadership Vacuum
With Falvey gone, Joe Pohlad sidelined, Baldelli dismissed, and a long list of coaches and executives already shown the door, the Twins are running out of people to blame. The cycle of turnover that once looked like accountability now feels like avoidance.
This isn’t a talent issue. The Twins have had good players.
It’s not a knowledge gap either-there are smart baseball minds throughout the organization. What they lack is stability, direction, and a clear commitment from the top.
Until ownership is willing to take a long, hard look in the mirror and reckon with its own role in the franchise’s struggles, the cycle will continue. The scapegoats are gone. All that’s left is the reflection staring back.