2026 AL Central Division Prediction

The first three month of 2025 the Detroit Tigers got off to a 53-32 start but then in the back half of the season they played 34-43 baseball. From April 1 through September 27 they were in first place for all but two days, then they lost their final game of the season and finished in second place one game out of first behind the Cleveland Guardians. That isn’t going to happen again and the Tigers are going to be the American Leagues Central Division Champions with 91 wins.

The Kansas City Royals are going to get their starting pitching rolling again in 2026 and will give the Tigers a run for their money but in the end the Tigers with ace pitchers Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez will prevail and the Royals will finish second with a 86-76 record.

The Twins never make it easy

Derek Falvey

Now that a few days have passed since Derek Falvey and Minnesota Twins ownership “mutually agreed” to part ways it seems like a good time to share my thoughts on what happened. When the move was announced on Friday, January 30 it came as a real shock that a parting of the ways like this would take place just two weeks away for the beginning of Spring Training 2026 and just a week after the Minnesota Twins Diamond Awards and TwinsFest took place.

While I was disappointed that this move didn’t take place right after the 2025 season ended, I am still glad that it happened. I see this as the best news that I have seen coming from the Twins camp in a long time. I am no baseball expert but I just don’t think that Falvey was ever qualified for this job and should not have been hired in the first place. I wonder how much the Twins paid him to walk away quietly? It appears that Falvey and Pohlad were not only not on the same wave length, they weren’t even in the same area code.

Derek Falvey was hired by the Minnesota Twins as Executive Vice President and Chief Baseball Officer on October 3, 2016. He officially joined the organization following the conclusion of the 2016 World Series and was later promoted to President of Baseball Operations in November 2019. In 2025 He also took over the business side of the Twins operation from Dave St. Peter who decided to retire.

 

Year Year End 40?Man
2025 $130,113,745
2024 $132,543,419
2023 $166,950,772
2022 $151,057,543
2021 $125,983,176
2020 $52,627,942
2019 $125,205,980
2018 $131,186,562
2017 $111,209,586
2016 $106,840,501
2015 $108,275,245
2014 $91,071,286
2013 $76,132,483
2012 $101,165,992
2011 $115,419,106
2010 $103,039,407
  • Year End 40-man roster payrolls obtained by The Associated Press include salaries and pro-rated shares of signing bonuses, earned performance and award bonuses, non-cash compensation, buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions. Deferrals may be discounted to reflect present-day value.

Source: Cot’s Baseball Contracts

Twins mutually part ways with team president Derek Falvey

Derek Falvey

Derek Falvey had been with the Twins since October 2016, when he was named the team’s head of baseball operations. This is the best Minnesota Twins news in a very long time. Thank you for making this happen no matter who you may be.

UPDATE: Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensch was also relieved of his duties today. Crazy day in Minnesota.

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The Twins Didn’t Just Lose Games — They Lost Their Fanbase

The Twins Didn’t Just Lose Games — They Lost Their Fanbase Another 70–92 season. Another fourth place finish. Another October spent watching other teams play meaningful baseball. For a franchise that keeps insisting it’s “competitive,” the results say otherwise — loudly.

Derek Falvey

Someone had to take the fall, and it wasn’t Derek Falvey. He survived — somehow — but Rocco Baldelli didn’t. After seven seasons, he’s out, and the Twins replaced him with former bench coach Derek Shelton, a move that feels more like rearranging furniture than fixing the foundation. Seven of twelve coaches were swept out with him. A purge looks dramatic on paper, but fans have seen this movie before: new voices, same script.

On the roster side, the big splash so far… Josh Bell. A 33-year-old first baseman with a bat that comes and goes and a glove that never really arrived. Seven million dollars for a placeholder. The rest of the offseason has been bargain bin depth pieces. It’s hard to sell “we’re trying” when the front office shops like a team terrified of its own payroll.

Then came the ownership news — the part that was supposed to restore confidence. Instead, it poured gasoline on the frustration. The Twins introduced new minority owners, but the Pohlad family kept control after months of signaling the team was headed for a sale. Fans were told one thing, then handed another. And the surprise twist? Tom Pohlad quietly taking over as control person from his brother Joe, who reportedly didn’t agree with the move at first. If the goal was stability, the execution felt anything but.

Fans were told the team was for sale. Then the story changed.”

So yes, a few questions have been answered. But they’re not the answers fans were hoping for. And the questions that matter most — payroll, direction, accountability, transparency — remain untouched. Will Derek Shelton actually manage, or will the front office script every inning? Will the new minority owners have any real influence? Will Tom Pohlad be visible, engaged, and honest with the fanbase? Will Falvey continue running both the baseball and business sides with no checks and balances?

Meanwhile, the fans have spoken with their wallets. Season ticket renewals are dropping. TV subscriptions are being canceled. Many fans feel misled — told the team was for sale, only to watch the Pohlad’s reverse course and bring in minority partners instead. A growing segment of the fanbase believes the only way forward is for the Pohlad’s to sell entirely. Until then, they’re choosing not to show up.

The Twins enter 2026 not just at a crossroads, but on the edge of losing an entire generation of goodwill. The front office can talk about “process” and “sustainability” all it wants, but fans are tired of buzzwords. They want honesty. They want investment. They want a team that acts like winning matters.

Right now, the burden is on the Twins — not the fans — to prove they deserve their support.

2025 Twins Turkey of the Year — Joe Pohlad: Spend to Compete or Sell the Team

The 2025 Twins Turkey of the Year is a runaway: Joe Pohlad and the Pohlad family. A year that began with the club being listed for sale, saw a mid-season bullpen purge that precipitated a 19–35 finish and attendance lows not seen since 2000, included the early-2025 retirement of longtime president Dave St. Peter, and ended with ownership disclosing roughly $500 million in debt and announcing two unnamed minority partners reportedly committing about $250 million each. The consequence: ownership credibility is shaken, the roster was hollowed out, and fans are demanding a clear plan: spend to compete or sell.

The case for the winner

  • Team listed for sale then taken off the market The Pohlad family listed the club in October 2024 and removed it from the market in August 2025. That reversal — with few public details — left supporters and local media scrambling for clarity.
  • A deadline purge that broke the bullpen and the season The front office traded most of the bullpen and roughly a third of the roster at the 2025 trade deadline. The aftermath was brutal: the club finished the last two months 19–35 and fan attendance dropped to historic lows going back to 2000.
  • Debt disclosure with scarce detail Ownership disclosed roughly $500 million in debt and announced two new minority investor groups would join the ownership structure; the groups remain unnamed and the terms undisclosed.
  • Leadership churn and power consolidation President Dave St. Peter retired early in 2025. Derek Falvey was given responsibility for both baseball and business operations, an increasingly rare and risky structure in MLB. The team fired manager Rocco Baldelli the day after the season ended and hired former Twins coach Derek Shelton, who had been passed over when Baldelli was originally hired.
  • Erosion of trust The sequence — team for sale, mass trades, delisting, large undisclosed debt, unnamed partners, and consolidated executive power — produced a credibility gap between ownership and the fanbase.

Fan sentiment — blunt and urgent

Fans aren’t asking for sympathy; they’re issuing an ultimatum: the Pohlad’s should either spend what it takes to field a competitive team or sell to someone who will. After the payroll purge, the late-season collapse, and attendance plunging to levels not seen since 2000, protests at games have become common and chants demanding a sale are no longer fringe behavior. That anger is grounded in consequences: fewer wins, emptier stands, and a long list of unanswered questions about who the new investors are and what they actually committed to do.

The present reality for the franchise

  • On-field: a depleted roster, competitive collapse down the stretch, and a new manager in Derek Shelton.
  • Front office: Derek Falvey now oversees both baseball and business operations.
  • Financial: roughly $500 million in disclosed debt, with two minority partners reportedly committing about $250 million each.
  • Fan engagement: attendance at historic lows and a fanbase sharply skeptical of ownership’s commitment to winning.
  • Communication: ownership has offered high-level statements but few specifics on partner identities, capital structure, or a time-bound plan.

Two realistic paths forward assuming the Pohlad’s remain majority owners

  1. Payroll-first
    • Core idea: trade more top payroll pieces to rapidly reduce payroll and service debt.
    • Short term: faster debt relief and lower payroll obligations.
    • Medium term: deeper competitive decline, longer rebuild, worsening fan trust and attendance.
  2. Competitive-rebuild (recommended hybrid)
    • Core idea: protect the best, controllable starters; add low-cost controllable talent; rebuild around prospects.
    • Short term: slower debt reduction, but gives fans hope and preserves on-field credibility.
    • Medium term: faster restoration of attendance and franchise value if progress is visible and steady.

Can Derek Falvey handle both baseball and business?

  • The challenge Combining baseball and business leadership concentrates authority but splits focus; MLB’s modern norm separates those roles because each demands distinct expertise.
  • Why it might work Falvey understands roster construction and can move quickly with unified authority in a crisis.
  • Why it could fail The dual role risks neglecting revenue generation or player development unless strong deputies are immediately hired.
  • Practical recommendation Falvey should remain strategic integrator but promptly appoint a seasoned business COO/CFO and a GM-level deputy for day-to-day baseball operations.

What the new minority partners could mean if they each invest ~$250M

  • Best case — real, unrestricted capital pays down debt, stabilizes the balance sheet, preserves payroll flexibility, and funds a hybrid rebuild that protects controllable starters while accelerating prospect development.
  • Worst case — conditioned capital, loans, or investor demands for cost cutting could accelerate another sell-off and prolong competitive decline.
  • Governance matters — names, ownership percentages, board seats, and governance terms will determine whether these investors are stabilizers or drivers of further austerity.

Recommended three-year plan the Pohlad’s should announce now

  1. Disclose the minority partners’ identities, commitments, ownership percentages, and governance roles within 60 days.
  2. Publish a three-year roadmap with payroll bands, prospect milestones, and a timeline for returning to a competitive window.
  3. Protect the best controllable starters this winter; trade truly expendable, high-cost veterans for multiple controllable assets.
  4. Increase budgeted investment in player development, international scouting, and analytics.
  5. Hire a COO/CFO and a GM-level deputy to support Falvey and ensure operational focus.
  6. Launch visible fan engagement initiatives to arrest attendance declines while on-field progress begins.

What fans should watch next

  • Who the unnamed minority partners are and the legal terms of their investments.
  • Whether Falvey appoints senior deputies for business and baseball operations.
  • Which players the front office markets publicly: are deals aimed at payroll relief or prospect acquisition?
  • Early hires and budget allocations for player development and scouting.
  • Any clear, date-driven milestones from ownership about payroll and competitive targets.

“We were promised stewardship; instead we got sale signals, a payroll purge—and answers that never came.”

The Twins Turkey of the Year in 2025 is Joe Pohlad. This is the first time we have had a Twins Turkey of the Year take home the honors two years in a row.

Joe Pohlad

2024 – Joe Pohlad

2023 – Byron Buxton

2022 – Max Kepler

2021 – Derek Falvey & Thad Levine

2020 – Covid-19

2019 – Dave St. Peter

2018 – Third Baseman Miguel Sano

2017 – Derek Falvey & Thad Levine

2016 – The entire 2016 Minnesota Twins team

2015 – Pitcher Ricky Nolasco

2014 – Outfielder Aaron Hicks

2013 – President Dave St. Peter

2012 – Owner Jim Pohlad

2011 – Catcher Joe Mauer

2010 – Third Baseman Brendan Harris (can’t seem to find this one)

2009 – Pitcher Glen Perkins

Welcome to the Derek & Derek Show

The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have hired Derek Shelton as their 15th manager. Shelton will replace Rocco Baldelli who was fired after seven seasons at the skipper of the Minnesota Twins the day after the 2025 season ended.

Baldelli managed the Twins to a 70-97 mark this season and a fourth place finish in the AL Central that saw the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers advance to the playoffs. Baldelli had three first place finishes, one of which was the COVID shortened 2020 season. Baldelli had a record of 527-505 (.511) and had a postseason record of 3-8.

Shelton himself was fired as the Pittsburgh Pirates manager this past May after the Pirates got off to a 12-26 start. He finished his six year Pirates managing career with a 306-440 record with two fourth place and four fifth place finishes. His record in Pittsburgh wasn’t great but to be fair the Pirates payroll is lower than the Twins payroll and ownership hasn’t made much of an effort to field a winning team.

Shelton has a history with Minnesota, serving as the bench coach for the Twins in 2018 and 2019, working under managers Paul Molitor and Rocco Baldelli. He was considered an important part of the 2019 team that won 101 games.

Rocco Baldelli Fired: A Turning Point in Minnesota Twins History

Manager Rocco Baldelli

The Minnesota Twins have reached a crossroads. After closing out the 2025 season with a disappointing 70-92 record, the team made the difficult decision to part ways with manager Rocco Baldelli. This move comes just weeks after Baldelli became the third winningest manager in franchise history, trailing only legends Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire.

Baldelli’s Legacy: Highs, Lows, and the Bomba Squad

Baldelli’s tenure began with a bang. In 2019, he led the Twins to an electrifying 101-win season, capturing the AL Central crown and setting a Major League record with 307 home runs. That “Bomba Squad” team brought new energy to Target Field and earned Baldelli the American League Manager of the Year award.

The Twins followed up with another division title in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and again in 2023. However, the momentum faded. Minnesota missed the playoffs four times in the last five years, and only the Nationals, White Sox, and Rockies finished with fewer wins in 2025. Baldelli’s overall record stands at 527-505 (.511 win percentage), a mark that cements his place in Twins history but also reflects the team’s recent struggles.

The Decision: Falvey’s Call and Fan Frustration

Twins President Derek Falvey explained the move:

“This game is ultimately measured by results, and over the past two seasons we did not reach the goals we set. After discussions with ownership, we determined that this is the right moment for a change in voice and direction.”

The timing raised eyebrows. Earlier this year, Falvey extended Baldelli’s contract through 2026, even after the team’s September collapse in 2024. Many fans are left wondering about accountability at the top, especially as Falvey remains in charge.

What’s Next? Searching for the Right Leader

The search for a new manager is underway, and the direction the Twins choose could shape the franchise for years to come. There’s a growing call among long-time fans for an experienced, old-school manager—someone who can lead without constant front office interference. While analytics are a valuable tool, baseball is still a game played by people, and the human element can’t be ignored.

Early reports suggest the Twins want a manager who can develop young talent. With an average age of 27.5, the team is younger than most in the league. Names like Don Mattingly, Joe Maddon, Mark DeRosa, David Ross, Joe Girardi, Skip Schumaker, as well as former Twin Doug Mientkiewicz are circulating among fans as potential candidates. Former Twins like Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau are also being mentioned although they have no managing experience. The big question: Will the front office allow a strong-willed manager to truly lead?

The Road Ahead: 2026 and Beyond

After two seasons of dashed hopes, fan interest and ticket sales are likely to drop. The franchise faces several pressing questions:

  • Who will be the new manager?
  • How much will ownership invest in payroll?
  • Will new minority owners influence team decisions?
  • Will the Twins continue their fire sale?
  • Is a team sale still on the table?

On the field, there’s reason for cautious optimism. If the Twins hold onto Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober, they’ll have a solid starting rotation, with more young arms ready to step up. The bullpen, however, is in dire need of a rebuild—something that could be addressed with smart, affordable free agent signings and by giving young pitchers big-league experience in relief roles.

Trades may be necessary to bring in younger position players, and while a true power hitter would be a welcome addition, big spending seems highly unlikely.

Final Thoughts

The current Twins roster isn’t far from being a .500 team. With the right additions—especially in the bullpen—and a manager who can inspire and develop young talent, Minnesota could be back in contention sooner than many expect.

What do you think about the Twins’ decision and the future of the team? Share your thoughts and memories in the comments below!

4 responses to “Rocco Baldelli Fired: A Turning Point in Minnesota Twins History”

  1. Robert Schulz

    Twins need a whole new set of hitting and pitching coaches. Can’t continue with poor situational approaches at the plate and too many strikeouts.

    Same for pitching. The starters need to go more than 4 + innings. Relief pitching is a mess right now. Need some high velocity arms.

    1. Richard Monet

      What I don’t understand is there was a great hitting coach that was fired last year. Popkins sure worked some miracles with the Blue Jays!

      1. Somebody’s head had to roll after the Twins hitting late in 2024 and it wasn’t going to be Rocco so Popkins drew the short straw. To be fair Popkin’s had more to work with in Torronto than he had in Minnesota.

  2. Les Smith

    Maybe whoever it is in the Pohlad family that’s running the team, fires Falvey and resigns Baldeli.
    Other than the owners, nobody’s job is safe and Falvey probably couldnt find the field with a map and directions.

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Twins draft history

From high-school phenoms to polished college bats, Minnesota’s first-round haul over the last ten years has been a roller-coaster of hopes, breakthroughs and what-ifs. The Derek Falvey regime took over in 2017. Here’s the year-by-year rundown:

2015Tyler Jay, LHP (Illinois, College) MLB Debut: 2024 (with the New York Mets) Status: Never threw a Major-League inning for Minnesota; debuted after release.

2016 Alex Kirilloff, OF (Plum High School, PA) MLB Debut: 2021 Status: Retired in October 2024 due to chronic injuries; slashed .248/.327/.412 in 249 games.

2017Royce Lewis, SS (JSerra Catholic High School, CA) MLB Debut: 2022 Status: Core infielder and rising star—30+ homers in his first 150 games. That said, injuries have limited him to 188 games over four seasons.

2018Trevor Larnach, OF (Oregon State, College) MLB Debut: 2021 Status: Regular role player in the corner outfield; average-defense and a developing bat.

2019Keoni Cavaco, SS (Eastlake High School, CA) MLB Debut: — Status: Converted to pitcher in the Minors, released in 2024 without reaching Double-A.

2020Aaron Sabato, 1B (University of North Carolina, College) MLB Debut: — Status: Struggling in the Minors (.199 average in ’24); reached AAA St. Paul in 2025. Free-agent candidate.

2021Chase Petty, RHP (Mainland Regional High School, NJ) MLB Debut: — Status: Traded to Cincinnati in 2022; pitching in Double-A.

2022Brooks Lee, SS (Cal Poly, College) MLB Debut: 2024 Status: Made the Twins team out of Spring Training in 2025 but started on the IL; lauded for bat-to-ball skills and defensive polish.

2023Walker Jenkins, OF (South Brunswick High School, NC) MLB Debut: — Status: Top organizational prospect; has power and speed. The bad news he has been injured too frequently and the Twins bring him back slowly to protect him.

2024Kaelen Culpepper, SS (Kansas State, College) MLB Debut: — Status: In Double-A; praised for plate discipline and versatile glove work. Surprise of 2025 Twins minor league system?

The 2025 Minnesota Twins: A Team Caught in Limbo, and a Fan Base Losing Patience

A loyal fan’s lonely vigil at Target Field—watching a team still searching for its soul.

Article 1

After 83 games the Minnesota Twins find themselves with a 40-43 record and in third place in the American League Central division trailing the league leading Detroit Tigers by 11.5 games and the second place Cleveland Guardians by one game and just one game ahead of the fourth place Kansas City Royals. There are four teams in the AL East and four teams in the AL West that have more wins than Minnesota does. Yet, the Twins and all the local Twins scribes seem to think the Twins are still in the running for a play-off spot.

Let’s get real folks, the 2025 Twins team has about as much of a chance of playing in post season as the Chicago White Sox and the Colorado Rockies do. The trade deadline is coming up and it will be interesting to see if Twins President Derek Falvey makes any moves. When he first started working for the Twins he stated that regardless of a teams standing at the deadline, moves should be made to improve the team and you do this by either being a buyer or a seller but you have nothing to gain by standing pat.

The 2025 Twins team does find itself in a unique situation in the fact that the Pohlad family that owns the team announced in October 2024 that the team is for sale putting the team between a rock and hard spot. Ownership doesn’t want to spend money on a team they want to sell not do they want to burden future buyers with long term deals.

Twins attendance this season is down almost 6% from last season and 2024 attendance was a low-water mark for the Twins at Target Field with the exception of 2020 when COVID kept fans from attending MLB games and 2021 when attendance was limited by MLB and ratcheted up slowly as the year progressed. July is almost here and that means the NFL teams including the Minnesota Vikings are getting ready to report to camps and start getting ready for their 2025 season. Once the Vikings start, interest in the Twins wanes, particularly when the team is playing poorly.

The 2025 Twins are a strange bunch. They started the season with four straight losses and it took them 26 games before they notched their tenth win of the season. Then in early May they go on a 13 game winning streak and go 18-8 in the month of May. June rolls around and with 2 games left in the month to play, they are 9-17.

As I said earlier, it is a strange team and you don’t know from day-to-day what you will see when you watch them play. So far in 2025 they have been out-scored 367 to 356. They had top notch pitching in May and just the opposite in June. The team has found itself seven games over .500 and eight games under .500. It has 21 come from behind wins and 18 blown leads. They have allowed 10 or more runs on seven occasions and scored 10 or more runs the same number of times.

The 2025 Twins payroll is about $149 million which put them about the middle of the MLB pack according to Spotrac. That said, only two teams with higher payroll, the Atlanta Braves with a payroll of just under $220 million and the Baltimore Orioles at $185.5 million have fewer wins than Minnesota.

The team has only four players making $10 million or more, Carlos Correa at $36 million, Pablo Lopez at $21.5 million, Byron Buxton at $15 million and Christian Vazquez at $10 million. These four players make over 55% of the Twins 26 man payroll (plus the five players on the IL). With the top four players $82.5 million, that leaves the remaining 27 players to share about $67,578,459. Spotrac shows 13 players making under $1million. With Correa and Vazquez playing sub par baseball, Lopez on the IL for most of the rest of the year things do not look like this team is playoff bound.

Manager Rocco Baldelli‘s current contract with the Minnesota Twins is a 3-year, $30 million deal signed in December 2022, according to Baseball Prospectus. The contract covers the 2023-2025 seasons. Some time this season, the Twins brain trust picked up their 2026 club option for Baldelli, according to Yahoo Sports

There is something seriously wrong with this team and I certainly don’t know what that is, but, I feel confident in saying that Rocco Baldelli is not the right manager for this team at the present time. It makes no difference if it is Rocco’s fault or not, the bottom line is this team is not winning and history has shown us that when this happens you need to get a new spoon to stir the pot. Every team gets injuries and they fight on but how can you explain an entire team short of Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan playing so poorly? I have followed the Twins through thick or thin since 1961 and I will probably continue being a Twins fan until I pass on, but it sure would be more fun watching a team and an organization that wants to win versus just fielding a team that is plays .500 or less baseball. Believe me when I tell you that the 2025 Twins are not a fun baseball team to watch. I will continue to watch the Twins but whenever they play bad baseball (all too often these days) I am glad that the TV remote is close at hand.

What the heck ails the Twins?

What is going on with our Minnesota Twins? They are only 22 games into the 2025 season and it is already no fun to watch this team play ball. A 7-15 record after 22 games? This team is better than that, I am not saying they are one of the upper echelon teams but they are better than 7-15.

So what ails this team? This past off-season they were bragging about having one of the best bullpens in baseball and so far they look like they have one of the worst bullpens. Hopefully that will will straighten itself out soon but it had better happen soon. What about the hitting? I would rate it between dismal and pathetic, they don’t seem to have anyone that can consistently knock in runs, but then again they have not had one of those players in years. Both of these things could be blamed on the Twins front office and ownership but with the Twins for sale I don’t see the Pohlad’s jettisoning Derek Falvey at his point. So the obvious move is to fire the manager and show the remaining Twins fans that the Twins are still trying to win. Perception is reality after all.