The next manager of the Minnesota Twins will be a familiar face.
WCCO has confirmed that former Twins Bench Coach and former Pittsburgh Manager Derek Shelton will be named to the position.
A former MLB catcher, Shelton coached in Minnesota in 2018-2019, under recently fired manager Rocco Baldelli. He was on Baldelli's staff in his first year as manager in '19.
Shelton brings 20 years of experience coaching in the big leagues with Cleveland, Tampa, Toronto and Minnesota, plus five years managing the Pittsburgh Pirates before being let go early in the 2025 season.
Shelton was thought to be one of the top targets for the teams looking for a manager and his connection to the Twins might helped land him back in the Twin Cities.
Baldelli was let go the day after the 2025 season ended. It was the second straight year missing the playoffs and not living up to expectations after a dynamic 2023 that saw the team win their first postseason series since 2002.
With the season fading away, the team unloaded a significant portion of the bullpen, some expiring contracts and the high-priced Carlos Correa at the trade deadline.
That makes Shelton's job a bit of a rebuilding project, but there are sone pieces to start with - if management decides to hang onto them this offseason. There are rumors pitchers Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan could be moved for the right price.