Ranking MLB’s Open Managerial Jobs: How Desirable is Minnesota Twins Opening?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins made headlines this September by dismissing Rocco Baldelli after seven seasons at the helm. A disappointing 70–92 record, combined with a midseason sell-off and a second straight year missing the playoffs, left leadership convinced it was time for a change.

“This game is ultimately measured by results,” Derek Falvey said, announcing the decision, “and over the past two seasons we did not reach the goals we set.”

However, Baldelli’s dismissal occurred during a rare offseason in Major League Baseball, when the managerial carousel is exceptionally crowded. Seven other franchises (Atlanta, plus the Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, and Colorado Rockies) are also seeking new leadership in the dugout. For Minnesota, this means the search for their next skipper won’t occur in isolation. With so many teams looking for managers, the Twins might not get their first choice among top candidates.

Here’s how the eight current openings stack up, with each job’s pros, cons, 2025 context, and future outlook.

1. Atlanta (2025 Record: 76-86)
Previous manager: Brian Snitker
Farm system rank: 28

Pros:

• The roster remains loaded with elite talent like Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, and Spencer Strider.
• An organizational culture of winning and stability.
• A chance to contend immediately.

Cons:

• Expectations are sky-high; anything short of a deep postseason run is a failure.
• The farm system is thin, leaving few reinforcements.
• Following Snitker, a beloved figure, will be challenging.

Outlook: This vacancy is the most desirable. With a proven core and steady leadership, this is a chance to manage one of baseball’s premier clubs.

2. Texas Rangers (2025 Record: 81-81)
Previous manager: Bruce Bochy
Farm system rank: 26

Pros:

• Core players like Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Wyatt Langford remain.
• Ownership has shown a willingness to spend aggressively.
• Bochy’s success in 2023 demonstrated that the roster can compete at the highest level.

Cons:

• Rotation depth is an issue, with injuries hampering progress.
• The farm system is weak, limiting internal fixes.
• Pressure to rebound quickly.

Outlook: Texas is only a few pieces away from returning to October. The next manager inherits both opportunity and responsibility.

3. San Francisco Giants (2025 Record: 81-81)
Previous manager: Bob Melvin
Farm system rank: 18

Pros:

• Buster Posey, now leading baseball operations, gets to select his first manager.
• The farm system is mid-tier but includes several near-ready arms.
• A large market and dedicated fan base.

Cons:

• Have missed out on superstar players in free agency. 
• Tough division with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
• A restless fan base is tired of mediocrity.

Outlook: A solid, middle-of-the-pack job that offers stability and resources. The challenge will be creating a new identity for the club.

4. Baltimore Orioles (2025 Record: 75-87)
Previous manager: Brandon Hyde (interim: Tony Mansolino)
Farm system rank: 15

Pros:

• A young core remains, featuring talent like Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jackson Holliday.
• The farm system continues to provide depth.
• Potential to rebound quickly if players take steps forward.

Cons:

• Competing annually with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays is a daunting task.
• Expectations have grown since the rebuild, and patience may be in short supply.
• Early-season struggles in 2025 revealed lingering weaknesses.

Outlook: Not the powerhouse many envisioned, but still a respectable position, with tools for success if the right leader emerges.

5. Minnesota Twins (2025 Record: 70-92)
Previous manager: Rocco Baldelli
Farm system rank: 2

Pros:

• One of the best farm systems in baseball, with prospects ready to make an impact.
• The fan base has demonstrated the ability to support the team when a consistent winning product is on the field. 
• Opportunity to guide the next wave of Twins talent.

Cons:

• Recent struggles have eroded confidence in the core of the roster.
• Payroll limitations restrict flexibility compared to bigger-market clubs.
• New manager’s job security may be tied to the future of Derek Falvey and the front office. 

Outlook: A high-risk, high-reward opportunity. If the farm system delivers, this could be one of the fastest turnarounds in baseball.

6. Washington Nationals (2025 Record: 66-96)
Previous manager: Dave Martinez (interim: Miguel Cairo)
Farm system rank: 23

Pros:

• New leadership direction with a reset after Mike Rizzo’s departure.
• Some young major-league talent is already in place, including James Wood, MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams.
• Lower short-term expectations than some of the other open positions.

Cons:

• Six straight losing seasons.
• The farm system has lagged despite years of rebuilding.
• Still overshadowed by their 2019 title run.

Outlook: Patience will be key. This job is a long-term project more than an immediate opportunity.

7. Los Angeles Angels (2025 Record: 72-90) 
Previous manager: Ron Washington (interim: Ray Montgomery)
Farm system rank: 27

Pros:

• A chance to reset a franchise badly in need of a new direction.
• Southern California lifestyle, with the ability to pencil Mike Trout into the lineup on a daily basis. 
• Expectations are very low after a decade of losing seasons.

Cons:

• The farm system is barren.
• Organizational instability has derailed managers repeatedly.
• A franchise still struggling to move on from the Shohei Ohtani era.

Outlook: History suggests limited patience for managers, but the Angels desperately need stability. A long-term rebuild awaits.

8. Colorado Rockies (43-119)
Previous manager: Bud Black (interim: Warren Schaeffer)
Farm system rank: 24

Pros:

• A new general manager will arrive alongside the current manager, offering a fresh start.
• Expectations are nonexistent after a historically bad season.
• Hitting at Coors Field will always produce some fun offensive numbers.

Cons:

• Organizational instability.
• Thin farm system and constant pitching struggles.
• The worst record in franchise history sets a very low baseline.

Outlook: This is the most challenging job available. The Rockies will need a manager with patience and a thick skin, because quick success is unlikely.

For the Twins, the challenge is not just finding the right voice to replace Baldelli, but doing so in a year when seven other teams are also searching for a replacement. Top candidates may have their pick of opportunities, and jobs like Atlanta or Texas offer quicker paths to postseason baseball. Minnesota’s pitch will hinge on its elite farm system and the chance to build something sustainable. Whether that is enough to land their preferred candidate remains to be seen.

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How would you rank the top available managerial jobs? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[The Great Hambino]

Pretty fair list, I'd say

If I had a quibble I'd flip the Nats and Twins.  I think the farm system ranking discrepancy isn't as great as it appears on paper since Washington's best prospects have been ones to recently lose prospect status while the Twins' best ones will be (hopefully) losing that status in the near future.  Between that and the implied security that working with a brand new GM brings (relative to the hot seat Falvey should be on) I think tips the scales toward Washington

[terrydactyls]

My gut feeling, based on prior decisions of the front office, is that the Twins will move very slowly.  This will allow them to make a very low offer to the last remaining candidate while claiming that "due diligence" is a tedious but mandatory process.  The final choice may very well be a Pohlad relative who hasn't worked in five years.  "He has a long history of being in baseball" will be the mantra of ownership.

[In My La Z boy]

This sets up the hiring of either Gardenhire or Dinkelman, whichever Falvey likes better is my guess.

Either one would jump at the chance, and either one will be at minimum manager wages.

It worked in late '86. No one knew the prospects better, and no one knew better how to get the best out of them than Tom Kelly, and he did. 

[LewFordLives]

One thing going for the Twins organization is that the Pohlad's are generally loyal and will give you a long leash (for better or worse).  Does Falvey's uncertain future change that equation? Maybe, but not necessarily. 

[DannySD]

CBS has us ranked 3/8, so there is hope. 

[mnfireman]

A few other reporter's takes:

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/ranking-mlbs-eight-managerial-openings-braves-orioles-offer-upside-rockies-avoid-being-last-on-list/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2025/10/01/mlb-managerial-openings-ranked-best-worst/86457919007/

https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/3359388

General consensus from most articles I've read put the Twins in the middle of the pack for job desirability, my thoughts are that the team will hire from within or someone with previous ties to the team - Tingler, Conger, or Shelton

[Doctor Gast]

As I stated before, Falvey's desire to have a say in the coaching staff will eliminate any serious manager candidate, that'll leave managers that any serious team don't want. Pretty much the Falvey's creative strategy in FA & trade proceedings (I'm being facetious). LAA might have the upper hand with Tori Hunter (unfortunately). Result, Falvey will hire another Baldelli or worse. Nats seem to be more serious & intelligent in winning than the Twins. So, I'd rank them ahead of MN as far as a more favorable landing spot. 

[Dave Borton]

Quote

Previous manager: Rocco Baldelli
Farm system rank: 2

Pros:

• One of the best farm systems in baseball, with prospects ready to make an impact.

I will be the 1st to admit that I don't fully understand compilation of 'farm system ranking.' But given the Twins approach to player development and the past lackluster performance of examples such as Lewis, Julien, Miranda, Lee (?), I am not sure how much stock I can put into that #2 ranking.

I am asking a question more than arguing the point. Are the Twins really developing those kids in the minors?

Second, a "con" which I didn't see listed would be "Being micro-managed by an exec who is overcommitted to every facet of business and baseball operations." For me, it is a no-win position.  Falvey thinks he knows more about baseball than he does.

[jorgenswest]

Why is farm system rank a factor? Is there a reliable relationship between farm system rank and future success?

I think it would be far better to look at 25 and under major league plate appearances and innings. Throw top flight prospects into the mix after that. A 23 year old in the majors has more value than a 23 year old deemed not ready by their team in the minors.

The Nationals ranked first with 3632 plate appearances by young players. The Twins had 774 plate appearances ranking 27th. The Nationals ranked third with 469.1 innings. The Twins were 7th with 353 innings.

3 hours ago, Cody Christie said:

• The farm system has lagged despite years of rebuilding.

Has the farm system lagged? Is it possible that it has been productive as shown by the number of young players playing in the majors for the Nationals?

If I am a manager with multiple job offers and young talent is a factor in my decision I am not going to look at prospect rankings. I am going to look at the 25 and under talent. The Nationals outpace the Twins by that measure and should be ahead of them in this ranking.

[jmlease1]

I think it's a fair list. I'd probably put SF over Texas, but YMMV.

Reasonable argument to put DC over us, but I really don't have any feel for how out on the team people in DC are these days and whether there's the sort of fury against ownership out there for their incompetence like we have here. Some people might prefer the East to the Midwest, other managerial prospects might see MN as having a better chance to win, even with our idiot owners.

Overall, seems about right. Rockies are in very bad shape, Angels are a mess and have differently bad ownership...maybe the Twins job is more attractive than Baltimore? They've got a strong tradition in Balto and finally have new ownership...but new ownership is unpredictable and the AL East is historically the toughest by far.

It's a midpack job, not the most attractive by a long shot, not the worst either. There will be quality options...will the Twins take one, or go back to the country club mentality and promote of the minor league guys?

[farmerguychris]

Ownership and the F.O. is lucky there are only 30 of these types of jobs.  If there were a 'normal' employer, I expect filling this job would be much more like real life and have trouble even finding applicants that would want to work for them?

[DJL44]

Rumor mill has Thad Levine as the frontrunner for the Rockies GM job. Could Rocco follow him to Denver?

[Nshore]

I remember Tom Kelly saying he wouldn't want to manage for a team like the Yankees, with all of their resources and star players.  The biggest challenge for the manager would be to not trip over something and get in somebody's way.  

So if a prospective manager is looking for a situation that will require full use of their powers along lines of excellence to right the ship - look no further than the Minnesota Twins!

[Brandon27]

Next manager going be in house candidate from major league staff or one minor league managers 

[old nurse]

Texas has an aging core. Sustaining even their .500 status is not certain. They are not an ideal long term job 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

A pro for the Twins that is not normally thought about is that Minnesota is a nice place to live, and decently affordable. We also have a very good farm system, but if I was a potential manager, I would be concerned about the ownership not spending enough money to support a young core. I know that the Rockies are terrible, but they are consistently pulling 30,000 fans to every game no matter how bad it is. If they were just a smidge better, I could easily see them being one of the top openings of these 8, but they are so bad, I don't know how much it matters. I would love for the Twins to bring in a former player like Morneau or Hunter. and if that can't happen. I would want a old school manager who is going to take control of the clubhouse, and not rely on the front office for everything.

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Not sure if we can convince them, but I'd love to see Torii Hunter come in and manage. Nelson Cruz come in as hitting coach. Fit in Toby Gardenhire somewhere. See if Mike Redmond wants to be a coach. Definitely brings energy to the clubhouse. Need a great pitching coach to be able to work with these young guys and get the most out of them. A lot is riding on them succeeding at the Major League level. 

[mrguy]

7 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Why is farm system rank a factor? Is there a reliable relationship between farm system rank and future success?

The "potential" of your farm system implies that you could have some depth to work with coming into the job and have a lot of potential in the future as well. Teams with questionable farm systems will put questions on how much depth you can work with in cases of injuries or who will even be available once certain players are gone. If you are projected to have a strong farm system with lots of good players potentially breaking through, the idea is that you won't have as much stress worrying about what to do in those cases because you'll have the tools to boost your team even in the worst case scenarios. The question is though, can we really say that in 2026, the Twins actually DO have that depth ready for the next couple years?

[jorgenswest]

22 minutes ago, mrguy said:

The "potential" of your farm system implies that you could have some depth to work with coming into the job and have a lot of potential in the future as well. Teams with questionable farm systems will put questions on how much depth you can work with in cases of injuries or who will even be available once certain players are gone. If you are projected to have a strong farm system with lots of good players potentially breaking through, the idea is that you won't have as much stress worrying about what to do in those cases because you'll have the tools to boost your team even in the worst case scenarios. The question is though, can we really say that in 2026, the Twins actually DO have that depth ready for the next couple years?

Do you value that more than the number of young players on the roster who have graduated from prospect status? 

[mnfireman]

One down...

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/10/rangers-hire-skip-schumaker-as-manager.html

[Blyleven2011]

It's a no brainer  , the twins organization needs to win back the fan base , what better way than to hire a loyal twins fans that wants to win ...

Thank you , thank you very much  ...

I'll accept the vacancy to manage the twins to glory  , it worked in the movies ....

[IndyTwinsFan]

6 hours ago, old nurse said:

Texas has an aging core. Sustaining even their .500 status is not certain. They are not an ideal long term job 

However, they just named Skip Shumaker (sp) manager, who was considered a higher profile option. 

[old nurse]

1 minute ago, IndyTwinsFan said:

However, they just named Skip Shumaker (sp) manager, who was considered a higher profile option. 

Shumaher  worked for the Rangers. As manager in waiting. He was also interviewed for managerial jobs and not hired. Before taking the Texas job.  To be another Schumaker is why the Twins job should be more appealing for the up and coming manager,  

[glunn]

I am hoping for someone who stresses fundamentals and work ethic. I hate sloppy defense and baserunning. I love mandatory batting practice and fielding drills,

[S Bart]

12 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

As I stated before, Falvey's desire to have a say in the coaching staff will eliminate any serious manager candidate, that'll leave managers that any serious team don't want. Pretty much the Falvey's creative strategy in FA & trade proceedings (I'm being facetious). LAA might have the upper hand with Tori Hunter (unfortunately). Result, Falvey will hire another Baldelli or worse. Nats seem to be more serious & intelligent in winning than the Twins. So, I'd rank them ahead of MN as far as a more favorable landing spot. 

Hunter will be available in my view. LA is pushing heavily towards Pujols as their next manager.

[knothole61]

10 hours ago, Nshore said:

I remember Tom Kelly saying he wouldn't want to manage for a team like the Yankees, with all of their resources and star players.  The biggest challenge for the manager would be to not trip over something and get in somebody's way.  

So if a prospective manager is looking for a situation that will require full use of their powers along lines of excellence to right the ship - look no further than the Minnesota Twins!

Arete!

[Lasorda_This_Out]

Last place..

[Doctor Gast]

5 hours ago, S Bart said:

Hunter will be available in my view. LA is pushing heavily towards Pujols as their next manager.

Thank you. After they officially fired Washington, I saw that. Pujols will be a good manager. IMO, Pujols will also be in the STL running.

[Jayred]

"Payroll Limitations" are not a real thing.  The Twins owners have the same opportunities to spend just like any other team.  The greedy jerks CHOOSE to have a limited payroll.  Also, farm system ranking is meaningless.  No one has any idea how good these players will be once they get to The Show.