Did Pohlads' Pivot on Sale Lead to Rocco Baldelli Being Fired?

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins made headlines by announcing they were parting ways with manager Rocco Baldelli following another playoff miss, a fourth in the last five years. Baldelli was hardly the primary issue over this stretch, but the organization had already exhausted its other scapegoats. 

Last offseason, the Twins cleaned house on the hitting side, firing coaches across the board. David Popkins was quickly hired for the same job with the Toronto Blue Jays and helped that club win a competitive AL East division this season. On the front office side, the Twins moved on from general manager Thad Levine, allowing the club to promote others from within the organization. That left Baldelli as the next logical choice. Still, his dismissal might have been written months earlier when the Pohlad family unexpectedly pulled the club off the market and recommitted themselves as majority owners.

A Different Timeline With a Sale
Had the Twins’ ownership sale gone through as planned initially, it would have made sense to keep Baldelli in place at least through the 2026 season. His contract extension had already been picked up for next year. A carryover manager would have given a new ownership group time to learn the inner workings of the organization while providing stability in the dugout. 

It also would have been pragmatic. Minnesota’s current roster construction doesn’t point to a likely playoff run in 2026 unless something drastic changes. There’s talk that the team could potentially trade Pablo Lopez and/or Joe Ryan, making it even more difficult for the team to compete in the AL Central. If the club underperformed again, new owners could have cut ties with Baldelli at that point and made their own hire without rushing into a decision.

Instead, the Pohlads’ renewed presence changed the calculation. Once they reaffirmed their control, the clock sped up. Patience became less of a virtue and more of a liability, especially after back-to-back disappointing campaigns in 2024 and 2025.

Appeasing the Fan Base
For years, a portion of the Twins’ fan base has loudly called for a change in the manager’s seat. Social media and comment sections have long been filled with critiques of Baldelli’s bullpen usage, lineup construction, and reliance on organizational philosophies. By moving on from him now, the Twins can appease that vocal group and give the appearance of a fresh start.

A new manager may provide a short-term spark, if only by virtue of being different. There’s always excitement around a new face in the dugout, and that novelty can buy both the team and front office a bit of goodwill. Still, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The Twins’ underlying roster issues remain, and no managerial change can magically transform the talent level of the current core. If the same problems surface in 2026, fan frustrations will quickly shift from the manager’s office back to the front office and ownership.

Falvey’s Last Card to Play
With the sale off the table, Derek Falvey’s position as president of baseball operations seems secure for now, but the pressure has never been greater. Ownership has little appetite to hit reset at the top of the front office after already committing to him as their lead decision-maker. That left one final ace card to play: firing the manager. Baldelli’s dismissal was as much about optics as performance.

The reality is that Falvey is now running out of levers to pull. His influence spans both baseball and business operations, meaning that dwindling attendance and sagging revenue will be directly tied to him moving forward. Baldelli’s exit removes the last convenient shield, leaving Falvey as the ultimate target if things don’t turn around soon.

What It Means for the Future
The Pohlad pivot ended Baldelli’s tenure and reshaped the Twins’ trajectory. By choosing to hold onto the club, ownership signaled that short-term results now matter more than ever. A manager once seen as a stabilizer through transition became expendable. This is especially telling for an ownership group that has been loyal to managers through some rough seasons. Falvey, meanwhile, has bought himself time, but only in the short term.

For fans, this all sets the stage for a pivotal 2026 season. The Twins will either prove they can retool and compete under current leadership, or the Pohlad family may be forced into the most difficult decision of all by moving on from the architect of the “Falvey era.”

Either way, Baldelli’s firing serves as the clearest reminder yet: when ownership changes direction, the fallout is felt from the top of the dugout all the way down to the turnstiles.

Do you believe the Pohlads' decision to keep the team led to Baldelli's firing? 

 

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[Markdumont25]

I'm not someone who believes Rocco was THE problem, but I also don't understand this narrative that he's a scapegoat either. Falvey should probably be gone too but Rocco's teams underperformed more than they played to expectations/overachieved based on league-wide pre-season assessments of the talent he had to work with. He consistently failed to get the most out his players. Time will tell how much was his management vs unrealistic expectations but I don't get the argument that this was somehow unfair to him. It's a tough league and it's results oriented. He didn't get good enough results. He's far from the only one to blame but, in my opinion, it's the correct move to give someone else a chance.

[4twinsJA]

Maybe, Rocco wanted out, did not like direction team headed. Twins will not be very good next year.

[Brandon27]

I think polhads family themeselves need to start worrying then anything if fans attendance at target field drops and they are not making money MlB going come in and force them to sell the team 

[LA Vikes Fan]

Couldn't agree more, Markdumont25. You have to separate Falvey from Baldelli, from ownership. You can want all 3 to be fired or sell the team but you still have to look at them individually. Baldelli isn't being blamed for mistakes by or the fault of others while doing a great job on his own. That's what a scapegoat is. He hasn't gotten the team to a record equivalent to its talent level the last 2 years, the minimum standard for a manager, much less elevated the team above its talent level. He not only didn't get performance out of most of his players, his in game management was mediocre, he didn't change tactics to fit his personnel until the end, and his teams didn't get better over time. I absolutely think Falvey/Levine/Zoll deserve some blame too but that doesn't excuse the team's on field performance. I've been one of Baldelli's defenders here until this season, and I think he is a good guy who might be a better manager in his next managing job a few years hence, but he didn't do a good job these last 2 years. It was time for him to go. 

I do agree Cody that this firing and the lack of a sale changes the narrative a little. Now it's not a "start over with a whole new slate", it's "we can compete wiht the right changes and the right voice". Falvey and Zoll have to know that they're next if the team stumbles out of the gate is rapidly sinking by June and July like this year. Maybe that means Lopez and Ryan stay because without them, this is a 65-70 win team. Is it an 80-85 win team with them? Probably not although a girl can dream that a new voice in the clubhouse will have a big impact. It will be very interesting to see how that new voice is. My money is on Shelton, Brandon Hyde, or Skip Schumaker, in that order. 

[jmlease1]

I think Rocco was cooked either way. If a sale had been completed before the end of the season, allowing new ownership to come in, they would have likely tossed out Falvey and Rocco to put in their own picks. New owners rarely wait out another season to see if they like a guy like that, and after a bummer of a season (again) they would have cleaned house. They certainly could have moved quickly enough unless MLB and/or the Pohlads dragged things out well into the new year.

I think it's fair to say that Rocco was both scapegoated a little by everyone; I think people around here blame him a little too much for example, but also the front office needed someone public to put some blame on, since ownership wasn't changing and the front office ain't firing itself. It's also more than fair to say that Rocco hadn't earned another season after missing the playoffs in 4 of the last 5 seasons, even if crappy ownership gutted the roster and the front office didn't dumpster-dive their way into fixing it. It's fair to put at least some blame on young players not developing/adapting at the MLB level on the MLB staff, and that's headed by Rocco. They changed some coaches and it didn't make much difference, next step is changing the manager.

Felt like Rocco was cooked either way when the team tanked it out of the all-star break and sent the club into fire sale.

I don't hate on the manager like some do, but I still think it's the right decision.

[Jasper]

Someone had to be the scapegoat, cannot fire the Pohlads!

[Richie the Rally Goat]

20 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I think Rocco was cooked either way. If a sale had been completed before the end of the season, allowing new ownership to come in, they would have likely tossed out Falvey and Rocco to put in their own picks. New owners rarely wait out another season to see if they like a guy like that, and after a bummer of a season (again) they would have cleaned house. They certainly could have moved quickly enough unless MLB and/or the Pohlads dragged things out well into the new year.

I think it's fair to say that Rocco was both scapegoated a little by everyone; I think people around here blame him a little too much for example, but also the front office needed someone public to put some blame on, since ownership wasn't changing and the front office ain't firing itself. It's also more than fair to say that Rocco hadn't earned another season after missing the playoffs in 4 of the last 5 seasons, even if crappy ownership gutted the roster and the front office didn't dumpster-dive their way into fixing it. It's fair to put at least some blame on young players not developing/adapting at the MLB level on the MLB staff, and that's headed by Rocco. They changed some coaches and it didn't make much difference, next step is changing the manager.

Felt like Rocco was cooked either way when the team tanked it out of the all-star break and sent the club into fire sale.

I don't hate on the manager like some do, but I still think it's the right decision.

Agreed, either he was going to be fired with the GM or by the GM but either way, he was going to be fired.

it was Falvey’s job saved one more year by the “Pohlad Pivot”

[Old Twins Cap]

I do not know the interest/principal payment on $400M in debt, but it's significant and has to be part of the budget for the baseball club, let's say -- @5% interest, @$25-30M a year.  That's worth a couple of really good ball players a year.

I would bet the new owners came in with cash to largely erase that debt payment and now will move forward with some level of decision-making stake in the team.

The bet is that, with improvement, their stake in the team increases in value.  Eventually one of the two investors will win the right to outright purchase and take the Twins forward.

Why the Pohlads racked up so much debt is a great question.  It's easy, I suppose, to be a billionaire and just let expenses ride knowing the underlying asset, i.e. the baseball club, will eventually pay out @$1.75B.  On the other hand, the debt payments are a drag on the operations budget making it tough to field a good team and win.  And, once a downward spiral starts, the chances of preserving any good options for financial escape decline precipitously.

When Joe Pohlad says:  "things could not have worked out better" because of the developments in the sale process, I think we should take him at his word.  The Pohlad's poor management has been thrown a life-line by the new minority stake owners and the only real casualty was Baldelli, because, now the need to win and improve is very important to two parties not named Pohlad.

[mickster]

I throw out this hypothetical.   WHAT IF the Twins didn't pull the fire sale, kept the team together and implemented the new running game...............any shot we get in the postseason with Detroits collapse?  Probably not, but dang we weren't much different then Clevland at the time

[BH67]

Short term results matter more than ever? Not if a further salary dump is coming.

The Pohlads are today's version of Harry Frazee. Their overall corporate business model is in deep trouble, so they've attached their debts to their one fixed asset that appreciates in value regardless of how many tickets are sold.

Until the Pohlads' ransom is paid, the only momentum for the Twins is downward. Firing Rocco was necessary, but it is largely cosmetic.

[jmlease1]

21 minutes ago, Old Twins Cap said:

When Joe Pohlad says:  "things could not have worked out better" because of the developments in the sale process, I think we should take him at his word.  The Pohlad's poor management has been thrown a life-line by the new minority stake owners and the only real casualty was Baldelli, because, now the need to win and improve is very important to two parties not named Pohlad.

Yeah, because basically any other scenario and Joe Pohlad is never in charge of a professional sports team again in his life. Worked out well for him. Fans? Not so effing much.

[Sjoski]

The Twins ScapeGoat Ladder

 

- 2023: Trainer gets tossed.  

  Diagnosis: “The injuries are killing us!”   

Translation: Blame the body guy.

 

- 2024: Hitting coach gets axed.  

  Diagnosis: “We can’t score!”  

  Translation: Blame the swing man.

 

- 2025: Manager finally fired.  

  Diagnosis: “We’re underperforming!”  

  Translation: Blame the dugout man.

 

- 2026: Falvey finally fired. 

  Diagnosis: “The system’s broken.”  

  Translation: Blame the architect man.

 

- 2027: Owner finally sells.  

  Diagnosis: “Turns out we were the problem.”  

  Translation: Blame the Pohlad clan.

 

[tony&rodney]

50 minutes ago, Sjoski said:

The Twins ScapeGoat Ladder

 

- 2023: Trainer gets tossed.  

  Diagnosis: “The injuries are killing us!”   

Translation: Blame the body guy.

 

- 2024: Hitting coach gets axed.  

  Diagnosis: “We can’t score!”  

  Translation: Blame the swing man.

 

- 2025: Manager finally fired.  

  Diagnosis: “We’re underperforming!”  

  Translation: Blame the dugout man.

 

- 2026: Falvey finally fired. 

  Diagnosis: “The system’s broken.”  

  Translation: Blame the architect man.

 

- 2027: Owner finally sells.  

  Diagnosis: “Turns out we were the problem.”  

  Translation: Blame the Pohlad clan.

 

Pretty much the timeline.

The trainers and coaches got a raw deal.

Baldelli lasted 7 years, so getting fired was predictable.

Falvey rolled snake eyes but has The Family propping him up for another year.

The Pohlads are just so confused as to why they lose so much money on everything they touch and yet they are still rich. 

[hitterscount]

It appears that Baldelli's days were numbered. either way, sale or no sale. I am highly skeptical that new ownership would look at the GM and manager and be alright with the product on the field the past 4 of 5 seasons. This year the lineup was very predictable and actually turned out to be worse thI thought. Wallner, Larnach, Jeffers, Julien, Lewis replacements at 3rd were terrible defenders. Player development was poor under Rocco, BP use, I could go on..... the point is I am surprised he was let go due to the cheap ass Pohlands still owning the team. The extension made zero sense. 

[USAFChief]

No.

 

Rocco's performance as an MLB manager led to Rocco being fired.

 

[Major League Ready]

2 hours ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

 Maybe that means Lopez and Ryan stay because without them, this is a 65-70 win team. Is it an 80-85 win team with them? Probably not although a girl can dream that a new voice in the clubhouse will have a big impact. It will be very interesting to see how that new voice is. My money is on Shelton, Brandon Hyde, or Skip Schumaker, in that order. 

They won 70 with Ryan and Lopez this year and Duran/Jax/Varland/Bader for two-thirds of the year.  Is Baldelli responsible for the 15-win shortfall?

[Sjoski]

43 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

The Pohlads are just so confused as to why they lose so much money on everything they touch and yet they are still rich. 

Carl was the one who knew how to make money....his son's simply inherited it. 

[Doctor Gast]

20 hours ago, mickster said:

I throw out this hypothetical.   WHAT IF the Twins didn't pull the fire sale, kept the team together and implemented the new running game...............any shot we get in the postseason with Detroits collapse?  Probably not, but dang we weren't much different then Clevland at the time

I love a thinking mind, thank you. IMO, the running game would have vastly improved the Twins chances if it had begun earlier. But how the team was structured with a fragile rotation & INF; they were doomed to collapse even w/o the sell-off. IMO, if the Twins had picked up a veteran inning-eater & replaced Julien with Martin at 2B, change strategy like running more in the beginning. IMO, with the team in a better position to win, the player would rise to the occasion & be the best team in the AL. & who knows after that. IMO, little things that some miss can make a big difference.

[nicksaviking]

Listening to Falvey's press conference now. 

Darren Wolfson: "OK so why fire him?"

Falvey: "That's a good question Doogie. Uh that's a conversation that works directly with ownership uh and ultimately a collaborative conversation for the right reasons to make the change."

Dissecting that word salad says that the decision was made by ownership, not Falvey.

[Galen]

The Pohlads are the Pohlads.  Rocco's teams played lousy  baseball the last to years.  He had to go.

[bloomwcjkl]

Even if they didn't win much, I did enjoy the post fire sale Twins.

Keaschal, Lee, Martin, Clemens

My expectations are low (also see MN Vikings) but it was a fun squad to watch.

[LastOnePicked]

I just don't get the scapegoat talk. You look at the record, the underperformance, the collapses - Mr. Rogers could have bought this team and HE still would have fired Rocco.

He certainly appears to be a truly decent guy, and I appreciate that he never dishonored the club with crude statements or behavior. But being a good guy is just not enough at this level.

I mean, have we ever considered that Rocco actually was THE problem? That this team, at a crucial stage in their cohesion, needed something a bit more disciplined than a loose, friendly clubhouse? Something a bit more task-oriented that a "feel-good" guy that players liked? Somebody who, instead of getting praise from the FO for following orders, actually pushed back on commands that were making the team predictable and easy for opponents to game-plan against?

I'm not saying definitively that Rocco was THE problem, but it's not out of the question. I mean, they often had a top AL Central payroll and a highly-ranked farm system. This team absolutely became sluggish, sloppy and listless, and often feel apart when faced with a challenge. That suggests a real problem with leadership in the dugout.

Sometimes nice guys are not great managers. 

[h2oface]

To the title question: who cares?

The FO is reluctant to reset? What does a sellout and becoming the worst team in MLB since called, then?

[The Great Hambino]

There's no way they fired him for the team's performance over the last two months, so the decision to let him go must've been made at the trade deadline.

The pivot on the sale happened after the trade deadline.

Ergo, the pivot did not affect Rocco's job status

[old nurse]

8 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Pretty much the timeline.

The trainers and coaches got a raw deal.

Baldelli lasted 7 years, so getting fired was predictable.

Falvey rolled snake eyes but has The Family propping him up for another year.

The Pohlads are just so confused as to why they lose so much money on everything they touch and yet they are still rich. 

Other than the Twins, what company has a Pohlad as a CEO?

[glunn]

10 hours ago, USAFChief said:

No.

 

Rocco's performance as an MLB manager led to Rocco being fired.

 

I believe that we agree that Rocco's performance has been poor for years. Why wait so long to fire him? Why fire him after giving him an extension that now looks like a foolish, costly move.

My sense is that scapegoating was a material part of the equation. That said, I agree with you that his performance standing alone provided ample reason to fire him.

[glunn]

2 hours ago, old nurse said:

Other than the Twins, what company has a Pohlad as a CEO?

You might start by searching bankruptcy filings.  

[old nurse]

2 hours ago, glunn said:

You might start by searching bankruptcy filings.  

AI Overview

 

While 

the Pohlad family has never filed for personal or business bankruptcy

[Bodie]

He wasn't a "scapegoat".  He wasn't competent. 

Very simply, he has "led" (to use the term very loosely) MLB's most disappointing team for two consecutive seasons.

The only surprising thing to me is that he got to do it the second time.

Good riddance to bad rubbish. At least a bit of it anyway!