The Minnesota Twins made headlines this past week with a front-office shakeup that caught just about everyone off guard. In a move that sent shockwaves through the organization and around the league, the Twins announced that team president Derek Falvey was stepping down - a decision described as mutual between Falvey and executive chair Tom Pohlad. But as more details have emerged, the picture behind this sudden departure is starting to come into focus.
Let’s start with the timing, because that’s what really raised eyebrows. Just over a year ago, Falvey wasn’t just steering the baseball side of the Twins - he’d been promoted to oversee business operations as well, taking on a dual role that signaled deep trust from ownership and a long-term vision.
Fast forward to now, and he’s out the door weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. That’s not just unusual - it’s seismic.
Internally, staff reportedly described the move as a “haymaker,” and it’s easy to see why. The offseason’s nearly over, rosters are mostly set, and the guy who helped shape the direction of the franchise is suddenly gone.
So what happened?
According to both Falvey and Pohlad, it came down to a clash of personalities and philosophies. Pohlad described their working relationship as two people “suddenly thrust into working together,” and Falvey echoed that sentiment, pointing to a difference in vision between himself and the new leadership.
“Sometimes it’s just a feel that you get,” Falvey said. “If you get to a place where you don’t think it fits perfectly, you have to have really honest conversations.”
And it sounds like that’s exactly what happened.
But to really understand the rift, you have to zoom out and look at where the Twins have been - and where they were headed.
After finally snapping a long postseason win drought in 2023, the team’s momentum stalled. Ownership slashed payroll heading into 2024, and the results on the field reflected that pullback.
The Twins finished 82-80 in 2024, missing the playoffs, and things got worse in 2025 with a 90-loss campaign. The writing was on the wall: a rebuild was underway.
Falvey seemed to be the architect of that rebuild. By the 2025 trade deadline, the Twins had already started tearing things down.
They offloaded Carlos Correa’s hefty contract in a salary dump and traded away several key bullpen arms - including Louis Varland, Jhoan Duran, and Griffin Jax - all of whom were young, controllable, and effective. The message was clear: the Twins were resetting.
But while Falvey was laying the groundwork for a long-term reset, the situation above him was shifting. In late 2024, the Pohlad family began exploring a sale of the team.
That effort ultimately fell through, and instead, they brought in new minority investors to help manage the club’s debt. Around that same time, Tom Pohlad - who hadn’t previously been involved in day-to-day operations - took over as executive chair from his brother Joe in December.
That change at the top turned out to be pivotal.
Tom Pohlad has made it clear he wants to be more hands-on than his predecessors, and his vision for the Twins doesn’t seem to align with a drawn-out rebuild. According to reporting, he’s aiming for a quicker return to contention - a stark contrast to the direction Falvey appeared to be steering the club. That disconnect may have been the tipping point.
Pohlad has hinted at potential roster investment before Opening Day, saying there’s “room for investment,” but he also downplayed payroll as the defining metric for success. “Yes, our payroll is down from last year,” he said.
“I’d love to get off this payroll thing for a second. Let’s judge the success of this year on wins and losses, and on whether we’re playing meaningful baseball in September.”
That’s a telling quote. It suggests Pohlad is looking to compete now, even if the spending doesn’t match previous years. And it also sheds light on why Falvey’s rebuild strategy - especially trading away cheap, effective arms like Varland - may not have sat well with the new control person.
It’s not hard to imagine that had Falvey known the directive was to compete in 2026, he might’ve handled last year’s trade deadline very differently. Instead, he operated under the assumption of a longer-term plan, one that no longer aligned with ownership’s vision.
One source described Falvey’s decision to step away now as a way to give the rest of the front office a clean slate - a chance to “create [their] own history” with the new leadership. That’s a telling insight.
When philosophies at the top don’t match, it can create friction all the way down the organizational ladder. Falvey’s exit may have been a move to avoid that kind of tension from taking root.
So where does this leave the Twins?
They’re heading into 2026 with a new direction, a new voice at the top, and a roster still in flux. There are holes to fill and questions to answer - especially if the goal is to contend right away. But one thing is clear: this franchise is at a crossroads, and how they navigate the next few months could define their trajectory for years to come.