Twins Announce GM Thad Levine Will Not Return for 2025

[BillyBallLives]

One rumor: We can only wait to see what happens.

 

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"San Francisco is looking for a GM to replace Pete Putila and work under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey. For what it’s worth, the fact that Levine chose to remain underneath Falvey for so long – despite other opportunities – suggests he prioritizes his work environment over his status. Perhaps the Giants’ larger payroll will convince him to give the Bay Area a try."

[weitz41]

4 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I have no idea what happened to the budget after signing CC and Pablo ...I have no idea the constraints..... And I'm not going to defend many of the decisions on free agents....

But people are forgetting how truly awful this organization was before this FO arrived. Truly awful. 

 

3 hours ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

You can't make comments like this.  There are too many people out there that won't acknowledge the positive steps this FO has made

for me these two comments are on point.

Does anyone remember the using Mauer's contact as an excuse to NOT spend? I do..

Plus, another season of 0 or - payroll will not enhance his resume. TY for all you work in bringing the Twins into the 21st century of baseball. Sad to see you go but under the current circumstances I can't blame you.

[Beast]

This does not feel like a move made by the Pohlads or Falvey (directly).  Not sure how that's the conclusion some are coming to.  If they won't fire anybody else of note (except a few scapegoat assistants), why would they fire Thad?

I think its clear.  Thad was a name thrown around for GM in the not so distant past (real GM, not the assistant to Falvey).  He's still relatively young.  He can get a high level job in an organization that actually prioritizes winning, and potentially parlay that into something bigger.  He saw the writing on the wall.  This plane is in a death spiral.  If he hangs on for a few more years, he may not be able to wash the stink off in the job market.

I think they had an exit interview, and he said he's not going down with the ship, and unless they commit to investing in this thing he wants out.  Smart move.

I think the one guy on the inside willing to fight to bring in talent sufficient to win something meaningful just flipped the bird and walked out.  The Carlos Correa signing is the last significant free agent contract we're seeing in some time.

At the end of the day, any moves that are made are completely inconsequential until the Pohlads relinquish their ownership to someone competent, or go completely hands-off.  That's not happening in our lifetime.  Joe Pohlad isn't giving up his equity share and opportunity to LARP.

[Doctor Gast]

5 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Not surprised at all.  They still missed on Rocco and Falvey.  A total house cleaning should now be done including Dave St Peter.  And yes we need someone from the outside.  Internal candidates for the GM job would only bring the same Falvey/Rocco totally boring baseball.

Totally agreed. Not a surprise, Flavine was a waste of resources. Cutting Levine was a financial move either way he should have been cut earlier because Falvey did what he wanted independent of Levine. I like Levine & wish him well. I don't expect anything to change with all the firings because of what was needed to be done was not done & won't be done. Firing of Watkins & Conger would be the only significant move left undone if they were really serious about making any impact.

[jkcarew]

Someone from outside the organization please.

Someone with no loyalty to Rocco…or anyone else.

[Doctor Gast]

5 hours ago, 1985Fan said:

The Pohlad family owned the Twins and won two WS. It was because of player development, a good manager that kept the team focused on fundamentals, and some very savvy trades. It was exciting baseball to watch. I don’t like the Pohlads style, especially the new kid that seems clueless. But the payroll is not the reason this team doesn’t win championships. Cleveland and Detroit have smaller payrolls. They play fundamentally sound baseball and execute. It’s that simple. Falvey and Rocco are responsible for performance of the team, not Joe Pohlad. 
I lived through Calvin Griffith and as hated as he was, he drafted and developed most of the players that went on to win 87 WS. Blaming the owners is another way for Falvey and Rocco to escape responsibility.

How refreshing! Common sense. What Falvey does best is somehow spin stats & hype & shift blame through social media. 

[The Mad King]

Time to bring in someone new. Interior options do not impress me.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

6 hours ago, USAFChief said:

This reads to me like he got canned, rather than he chose to leave. 

In any case, this was pretty much announced last weekend when they said "Falvey and Baldelli are returning. ... Thad? Thad who?"

 

Yup. Writing was certainly on the wall.

[DJL44]

3 hours ago, ashbury said:

I don't really disagree, but consider that the two are not really that close in age (11+ years apart), and when Falvey was brought on board there seemed to be a view in the organization that he needed an older partner with more experience.  It always seemed a bit odd that the two were jointly called Boy Wonders by their detractors.

It could be that Levine had served his purpose and now it's time to take the training wheels off for Falvey.  IOW the PBO/GM model evolved under their tenures.

Falvey's still not as old as Levine was when he was hired.

Anyone know what Rob Antony is doing now? Maybe he and Levine can play golf next summer. I wonder which one of them said "Hey, let's give Joey Gallo $11M. We only have a five LH hitting outfielders on the roster."

I wonder if the "Falvine" moniker upsets Falvey. He's the main decision maker but has to share credit. That could be enough to let him go.

[DJL44]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Anyone know what Rob Antony is doing now?

I found Rob Antony's very sad LinkedIn page

(26) Rob Antony | LinkedIn

[Jocko87]

3 hours ago, BillyBallLives said:

One rumor: We can only wait to see what happens.

 

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"San Francisco is looking for a GM to replace Pete Putila and work under new president of baseball operations Buster Posey. For what it’s worth, the fact that Levine chose to remain underneath Falvey for so long – despite other opportunities – suggests he prioritizes his work environment over his status. Perhaps the Giants’ larger payroll will convince him to give the Bay Area a try."

Speaking of dysfunctional organizations.  I know the Giants have done really well over the years but the last few months of a former player negotiating deals under a PBO to be fired just reaks of a bigger issue.

I can't imagine Levine being interested in stepping into that power struggle but if he did it would cement his role as boy wonder babysitter mercenary.

There are worse gigs. He can name his price and stay out of the limelight. He might like it that way.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

How refreshing! Common sense. What Falvey does best is somehow spin stats & hype & shift blame through social media. 

Other than win more games than his two predecessors....

[Mike Sixel]

50 minutes ago, The Mad King said:

Time to bring in someone new. Interior options do not impress me.

Can you even name interior options?

[Craig Arko]

8 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Can you even name interior options?

Genuine Naugahyde. 

[bean5302]

6 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Other than win more games than his two predecessors....

He won more games than a GM overseeing a full rebuild? Impressive.

Bill Smith average season 83-79. Playoffs 2 times in 4 years 50%. Draft/international successes: Miguel Sano (AS), Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco (AS), Brian Dozier (AS) Aaron Hicks, Kyle Gibson (AS), Eddie Rosario. That's over 100 career WAR in 4 years including 4 All Stars (3 with the Twins)

Terry Ryan average season 69-93. Playoffs 0 times in 5 years.  Draft/international successes: Byron Buxton (AS), Jose Berrios (AS), Tyler Duffey, Taylor Rogers, Mitch Garver, LaMonte Wade, Jose Miranda, Akil Baddoo, Griffin Jax, Tyler Wells. About 75 career WAR in 5 years. Just 2 All Star selections, but both with the Twins.

Derek Falvey average season 84-78. Playoffs 4 times in 8 years 50%. Draft/international successes: Bailey Ober, Brent Rooker (AS), Ryan Jeffers, Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, Spencer Steer, Eddie Julien, Trevor Larnach. About 35 career WAR in 8 years. 1 All Star selection, none with the Twins.

While Falvey certainly has the advantage in terms of career ahead of his players drafted, he has a long, long way to go to catch Bill Smith, especially considering he's had twice as long as the head of baseball.

 

[saviking]

I assume he had final say on trades and signing free agents.. If so he didn't have a great record to stand on. 

[1985Fan]

22 hours ago, S Bart said:

It is a totally different business nowadays and comparing the WS days as well as Calvin just does not mesh. I lived through Calvin and even watched Billy manage the team. It was a different world.

Yes, they all have some responsibility but the lack of business sense that Joe Pohlad has shown has placed daggers in this team.  I have posted many examples via TD. When an owner advertises to the public after making a playoff run that funds would not be put forth the following year to improve the team and actually make cuts (Why in the world publicly advertise that information) and totally bungles a televised deal a few months later where the fans cannot access games,,,he concentrates on the teams' new unform choices and presents them via a modeling show with the players at the Mall of America ,,there is so much more..... so please...look at the facts and also compare the wise moves other team owners have made.  At least Falvey and Rocco have some knowledge of the game. Joe is a 42-year-old with a BA in Communications (which is odd considering how poorly he did with the Gleeman interview) and has run the prior Pohlad businesses that he supervised into the ground. One only needs to look at the multi million loss that took place with the media business that he ran. Skor North mentioned it this week and I fact checked it to for accuracy. Chip Scroggins had an excellent article in the Tribune earlier this week.

Agree with you about Joe Pohlad, He definitely hurt ticket sales and alienated a lot fans. As you say, he is not a good businessman and business manager. He has damaged the brand. 
 

I disagree that that is why this team collapsed. The players they have should perform the same regardless of what Joe Pohlad says or does. Rocco and Falvey are responsible for on field performance. Period. 
 

[Jocko87]

 

I feel like there is a major clue in this phasing, both for the future of Levine as we have seen but also for the plans for filling the position.

New school management trained MBAs don't say MY without a very good reason. It's drilled out of you in modern leadership training.

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Jocko87 said:

 

I feel like there is a major clue in this phasing, both for the future of Levine as we have seen but also for the plans for filling the position.

New school management trained MBAs don't say MY without a very good reason. It's drilled out of you in modern leadership training.

I don't think Falvey has an MBA.

 

[S Bart]

4 hours ago, 1985Fan said:

Agree with you about Joe Pohlad, He definitely hurt ticket sales and alienated a lot fans. As you say, he is not a good businessman and business manager. He has damaged the brand. 
 

I disagree that that is why this team collapsed. The players they have should perform the same regardless of what Joe Pohlad says or does. Rocco and Falvey are responsible for on field performance. Period. 
 

As I mentioned in my message, I agree that they all have some responsibility in what took place this last season and my prior postings have made that clear via very much questioning the management. My main point is that leadership starts at the top. If the leader of this operation does not make changes to right the ship which he seems not willing to do, the challenges will continue. As a retiree whose dad placed a Twins cap on his head in 1965, had an opportunity to view the enraged Twins manager Billy Martin comically get upset at an umpire, met his hero, Harmon Killebrew, during breakfast at a downtown hotel later in life, was present at the last Metrodome game and witnessed Joe Nathan return to the mound after the game concluded (not many people know this) to place some dirt in a baggie as a keepsake..sorry old man here... many more memories... This whole current situation saddens me greatly. I usually take my grandkids to a couple of games each summer when I return to the Twin Cities to visit them and will probably switch to the Saints games in 2025. I really do not see how they can get it all solved without a change in ownership or the Pohlads doing something meaningful. :(

[Rigby]

3 hours ago, USAFChief said:

I don't think Falvey has an MBA.

 

I dunno. Master of Bad Arm Acquisitions...  sorry that's the MBAA.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, Rigby said:

I dunno. Master of Bad Arm Acquisitions...  sorry that's the MBAA.

Joe Ryan and SWR and Lopez say hi. 

[Original_JB]

On 10/4/2024 at 2:28 PM, ashbury said:

 

"He's fired, Derek."

"Dammit Jim, I'm a business shark, not a human being."

[Rigby]

2 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Joe Ryan and SWR and Lopez say hi. 

Mahle, Paddack, DeSclafani, Topa, Duarte, Dyson an Prielipp return their salutations....

[Need4speed99]

Now just get rid of the Pohlads and baldelli and the twins may have a chance to be winners.

[Doctor Wu]

On 10/4/2024 at 11:05 PM, Riverbrian said:

IMO... The Twins organization was seemingly frozen in place before they arrived. They didn't spend money and they didn't develop talent.

IMO... When these guys came aboard... the organization started moving again. They made some big mistakes and they made some good things happen but in total... we have been better off... while yet... not all the way there. 

This is why no movement at the trade deadline for two years in a row... is such a shocking thing for me to try and comprehend. 

  

Yes, it was shocking, and very frustrating. Someone already mentioned "budget restraints" so maybe that was also a factor. We weren't privy to what sort of limitations the front office had to work with the past couple of seasons, so who knows why there was so little action. But it always seems like they wait too long, until the trade deadline is about the expire, before they go out and swing a trade, and by that point most of the quality players are off the board. 

[Doctor Wu]

8 hours ago, Rigby said:

Prielipp return their salutations....

I still have hope that Prielipp is going to turn into a good pitcher for the Twins. Baby steps this season but it was encouraging to see him healthy and putting up good numbers. 

[Doctor Wu]

16 hours ago, USAFChief said:

I don't think Falvey has an MBA.

 

I was under the impression that nearly all of the new-breed GMs had MBAs!

[DJL44]

17 hours ago, S Bart said:

I usually take my grandkids to a couple of games each summer when I return to the Twin Cities to visit them and will probably switch to the Saints games in 2025.

Saints games are more fun for kids anyway.

[S Bart]

21 hours ago, USAFChief said:

I don't think Falvey has an MBA.

 

Falvey graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics in 2005 from Trinity College. A degree in economics is quite different from an MBA.