The Twins need a new manager. What, and eventually who, the team will hire to replace Rocco Baldelli is the subject of a lot of speculation so far.
Baldelli was let go the day after the season ended after seven years as the skipper. The Twins are coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons after finally breaking their postseason losing stream in 2023, defeating Toronto in the Wild Card round before falling in four games to Houston in the ALDS.
That was supposed to be the building block for the team heading into 2024, which started with positive momentum before injuries and a lack of depth sent the Twins into a tailspin in August and September. 2025 continued to be a struggle for the Twins who eventually fell to fourth place in the AL Central just ahead of Chicago.
But the second half of the year, the Twins really dropped in competitiveness, going just 36-65 since early June.
Dan Hayes of The Athletic has been tracking who the Twins appear to be interested in, and told Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News there are five names being thrown around at this point. And he says the Twins have a vision in mind of who they're looking to hire.
"I kind of feel like they're looking for guys who, it just feels like they all fit a type where they're gonna be that detail-oriented, looking to be running, fundamentally sound, that kind of thing," says Hayes.
He adds it might be a tough search because the Twins are just one of seven MLB teams replacing their manager. A challenge for Minnesota might be finding someone who is interested in coming to a situation where ownership explored selling the team, and was quick to jettison players this season.
Add in if they might try to trade pitchers Pablo Lopez or Joe Ryan this offseason, and a manager might be signing up for a full rebuild.
"We don't know what the future holds, and I know the Twins are answering those questions for the managers, but they're clearly on the lower end of this," says Hayes. "There are many teams that are in a way better situation right now. In 2018 when they hired Rocco, I think they were in a better spot because they had a young core that was more established even though they had Buxton and Sano, even though those two were coming off of terrible years, they had a lot of talent. And it was sort of more Major League realized. TheTwins were probably in a better spot and there were not the questions about payroll, ownership, all of that at the time. So I think they're probably on the lower end of the totem pole."
Here are the five names Hayes mentioned as manager and their backgrounds:
Nick Punto
Punto suited up for the Twins between 2004 and 2010 and was famously a member of the Twins "Piranhas." Since retiring as a player, Punto has been a coach for the San Diego Padres. The 47-year old brings that fundamental but aggressive style that Hayes mentioned the Twins were after, but with just one season as an MLB-level coach on the bench, he lacks experience.
Derek Shelton
A former MLB catcher, Shelton coached in Minnesota in 2018-2019, under Baldelli 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 is thought to be one of the top targets for the teams looking for a manager and his connection to the Twins might help them land him back in the Twin Cities.
James Rowson
Another former Minnesota Connection, Rowson was the Twins hitting coach from 2017-2019, and under Baldelli in 2019. Rowson left to become the Marlins bench coach. He then moved to Detroit to be their assistant hitting coach. Under Rowson, the Twins "Bomba Squad" set a MLB record for home runs in a season in 2019. That team hit 307 home runs and five players had 30 or more homers.
Ramón Vázquez
Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional baseball coach and a former infielder. He spent 2025 as the Red Sox bench coach, and has been with Boston in various roles since 2018. He brings a lot of experience, and like Baldelli, has a strong background in data and analytics. He also brings a connection to Spanish-speaking players.
Ryan Flaherty
The Chicago Cubs bench coach, Flaherty also coached in San Diego and is a former infielder for Baltimore, Atlanta and Cleveland. He's also expected to be a target of both Baltimore and San Diego in their managerial searches. The 39-year-old is one of the young, hot names across MLB and is expected to land a gig this offseason.
One name rumored to be a candidate, and not mentioned by Hayes is former Twin centerfield Torii Hunter. He is also attached to the Los Angeles Angels opening which appears to be more likely than Hunter returning to Minnesota.