Manager Interviews

[Parfigliano]

On 10/15/2025 at 6:07 PM, jaimedude said:

Outside of Shelton, have any candidates been mentioned that have past managerial experience? Heck if your gonna interview Nick Punto you might as well interview Mike Redmond and Brian Dinkleman too, they are former Twins too. 

Don't forget La Tortuga.

[nicksaviking]

The Giants look to be hiring the manager of the University of Tennessee and plenty of people are aghast at such a move.

MLB's staunch resistance to change and new ideas while clinging to nostalgia and tradition is what is killing this league. Every other pro sport league dabbles in hiring top level college coaches and they have for decades, but not MLB. 'We're so precious and elite, such a peon could NEVER manage a team at OUR level!!!' This Old Boys club nonsense is so outdated.

And if the Twins seriously want to bring someone in who eagerly will work with and develop young hitters, a college coach should be considered here as well.

[lecroy24fan]

3 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

And if the Twins seriously want to bring someone in who eagerly will work with and develop young hitters, a college coach should be considered here as well.

Not on the hitting side but a name that just popped in my mind is Wes Johnson.

[Craig Arko]

I’m leaning towards Vazquez. 

[thelanges5]

la Velle Neal 3 in the Strib:

Add former Mariners manager Scott Servais to the list of candidates expected to interview for Twins manager, according to @leneal3.bsky.social.  

Other candidates include Nick Punto, James Rowson, Derek Shelton, Ramón Vázquez and Vance Wilson.
 

https://www.startribune.com/twins-managerial-search-expands-to-include-vance-wilson-scott-servais/601497809

[old nurse]

Scratch Suzuki off the list. He is going to manage the Angels 

[shortround81]

On 10/20/2025 at 12:12 PM, lecroy24fan said:

Not on the hitting side but a name that just popped in my mind is Wes Johnson.

I'm still bitter he just up and left midseason

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

Scratch Suzuki off the list. He is going to manage the Angels 

Understanding that they are a very dysfunctional franchise, I'd still like to know why they were so dead set on hiring a former well known player with no experience. Sounds like it was only going to be Pujols, Hunter or Suzuki. Why no interest in non-former players?

[ashbury]

Regardless of whom they pick, I'm glad they are interviewing a bunch of people.  Hopefully most of them, in the process of explaining how they'd run things in the dugout and in the clubhouse, will give their frank view of "what's wrong with the Twins at present?"  And I hope Falvey is capable of synthesizing from these snippets of what they must be saying all around the league, because he's driven this franchise into the ditch and currently qualifies as at best a competent but below-average major league executive. 

I know it's throwing red meat out there, to dare call Falvey "competent," but that's what he is, no less but no more.  I would consider firing him if I knew of a slam-dunk better option; but the likelihood is to replace him with some other eager up-and-coming member of somebody's FO, and that's how we got him in the first place.  

If I were in Joe Pohlad's shoes, I would want a debriefing from Falvey as to what he's learned from the managerial interviews, and what in particular he plans to do to get better, himself.  What's going to be his Special Sauce, going forward?

[nicksaviking]

6 minutes ago, shortround81 said:

I'm still bitter he just up and left midseason

They were paying him something like 5x the salary the Twins were paying him. And it wasn't a job that would still be available after the season was over.

[nicksaviking]

10 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Regardless of whom they pick, I'm glad they are interviewing a bunch of people.  Hopefully most of them, in the process of explaining how they'd run things in the dugout and in the clubhouse, will give their frank view of "what's wrong with the Twins at present?"  And I hope Falvey is capable of synthesizing from these snippets of what they must be saying all around the league, because he's driven this franchise into the ditch and currently qualifies as at best a competent but below-average major league executive. 

I know it's throwing red meat out there, to dare call Falvey "competent," but that's what he is, no less but no more.  I would consider firing him if I knew of a slam-dunk better option; but the likelihood is to replace him with some other eager up-and-coming member of somebody's FO, and that's how we got him in the first place.  

If I were in Joe Pohlad's shoes, I would want a debriefing from Falvey as to what he's learned from the managerial interviews, and what in particular he plans to do to get better, himself.  What's going to be his Special Sauce, going forward?

During the press conference, Falvey seemed to slip up and confirm ownership was who had Baldelli fired.

Agree, about Falvey as well. Much of the hate is just blanket disillusionment; most who are seething that he's still here wouldn't say a good word about him if he rescued a baby from a burning building. That's fine, I have no special spot in my heart for him and I'd also replace him. But if we're being objective, it's not like he's intentionally putting a losing team on the field. And if ownership did fire Baldelli, then he knows he's on watch and much more likely to look for a new approach instead of doubling down on his prior approach which clearly wasn't working. He's self aware enough to know that doing the same thing that got Baldelli fired isn't going to save his job.

[The Great Hambino]

7 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Understanding that they are a very dysfunctional franchise, I'd still like to know why they were so dead set on hiring a former well known player with no experience. Sounds like it was only going to be Pujols, Hunter or Suzuki. Why no interest in non-former players?

I can't remember where I read it, but apparently Moreno aggressively cheaps out on pretty much every aspect of the organization that isn't player payroll.  Scouting, development, training, etc.   Hiring from within saves on pesky things like a legitimate managerial search

I also heard/read/imagined somewhere that they had been talks with Pujols about a contract before they broke down and it was reported that Pujols was no longer in consideration.  I wouldn't be totally shocked if the Angels were expecting his existing personal services contract to cover his salary.  

But I think you answered your own question in your first sentence.

[ashbury]

17 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

During the press conference, Falvey seemed to slip up and confirm ownership was who had Baldelli fired.

Agree, about Falvey as well. Much of the hate is just blanket disillusionment, most who are seething that he's still here wouldn't say a good word about him if he rescued a baby from a burning building. That's fine, I have no special spot in my heart for him and I'd also replace him. However, it's not like he's intentionally putting a losing team on the field. And if ownership did fire Baldelli, then he knows he's on watch and much more likely to look for a new approach instead of doubling down on his prior approach which clearly wasn't working. He's self aware enough to know that doing the same thing that got Baldelli fired isn't going to save his job.

Just for the record, I had second thoughts about my post, and repurposed the thoughts into a blog entry instead.   But you had replied before I could come back and erase what I put here.  It's kind of a thread-jack so I hope it doesn't distract from the discussion of managerial candidates themselves.

[USAFChief]

37 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

They were paying him something like 5x the salary the Twins were paying him. And it wasn't a job that would still be available after the season was over.

I strongly doubt LSU offered him 5x the money. In fact, I doubt he got a raise. from what I've read. But its speculation in any case. Neither his Twins salary nor LSU salary were ever confirmed, AFAIN, but AI tells me he got $380k for his one year, plus a vehicle allowance.  I doubt the Twins were paying him $75k.

 

What I DO know is it's a pretty classless move to quit mid-season. I'd want no part of him. 

As for job availability, the CWS had just ended so the college sesson was over, and there's no reason he couldn't have waited to accept that job after the Twins season ended. 

He also only stayed at LSU for one season before taking the head coaching job at Georgia. 

[The Great Hambino]

8 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

I strongly doubt LSU offered him 5x the money. In fact, I doubt he got a raise. from what I've read. But its speculation in any case. Neither his Twins salary nor LSU salary were ever confirmed, AFAIN.

 

What I DO know is it's a pretty classless move to quit mid-season. I'd want no part of him. 

As for job availability, the CWS had just ended so the college sesson was over, and there's no reason he couldn't have waited to accept that job after the Twins season ended. 

He also only stayed at LSU for one season before taking the head coaching job at Georgia. 

First off, I 100% agree with you about quitting mideason.

But the job almost certainly wouldn't have been available if he waited to finish the season.  DI coaches can start contacting new juniors on August 1.  Official visits can start September 1.  No chance LSU sits there twiddling their thumbs waiting on him while they fall behind all their competitors in the recruiting game.  Being coachless through that period probably wouldn't have been too helpful in the fundraising department either.

He would've had to take a mini-sabbatical or taken a lesser role in order to have a clean break from pro to college ball

[nicksaviking]

44 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

I strongly doubt LSU offered him 5x the money. In fact, I doubt he got a raise. from what I've read. But its speculation in any case. Neither his Twins salary nor LSU salary were ever confirmed, AFAIN, but AI tells me he got $380k for his one year, plus a vehicle allowance.  I doubt the Twins were paying him $75k.

 

What I DO know is it's a pretty classless move to quit mid-season. I'd want no part of him. 

As for job availability, the CWS had just ended so the college sesson was over, and there's no reason he couldn't have waited to accept that job after the Twins season ended. 

He also only stayed at LSU for one season before taking the head coaching job at Georgia. 

I thought he got a significant raise, but I had also thought he had been hired as the manager, not pitching coach, so I guess my recollection wasn't straight on that one anyway. Guess he did get a manager job later, and in the SEC, that probably was 5x his Twins salary, but obviously not initially.

[lecroy24fan]

Looking at The Athletic article from Gleeman and Hayes he went from $350k to $750k at LSU as pitching coach. Anybody would have been a fool to say no to over double salary, and it is correct that the job would not have been available after the Twins season ended.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3385007/2022/06/26/twins-lsu-wes-johnson/

 

I was very mad at him at first but when I saw that info I changed my mindset on it and realized he had to do it.

[jorgenswest]

Servais anyone?

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, lecroy24fan said:

Looking at The Athletic article from Gleeman and Hayes he went from $350k to $750k at LSU as pitching coach. Anybody would have been a fool to say no to over double salary, and it is correct that the job would not have been available after the Twins season ended.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3385007/2022/06/26/twins-lsu-wes-johnson/

 

I was very mad at him at first but when I saw that info I changed my mindset on it and realized he had to do it.

Nathan Yeskie, the current LSU pitching coach, earns $1.2 million over three years with bonuses for postseason wins. His predecessor, Wes Johnson, had a three-year deal that provided a yearly base salary of $380,000 and included a vehicle allowance and relocation incentive, notes The Daily Advertiser. 

• Current contract: Nathan Yeskie's three-year, $1.2 million contract began in 2023, with bonuses tied to postseason success.
• Previous contract: Wes Johnson's contract, which ended in 2025, had a $380,000 annual base salary, plus a vehicle allowance and a one-time relocation incentive.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

4 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

wouldn't say a good word about him if he rescued a baby from a burning building

what if it was baby Hitler? 

... off topic? 

 

[The Great Hambino]

I found the Wes Johnson term sheet:

Was it for a big raise?  No (Are the post-season bonuses crazy enough to maybe account for the original gap in reporting?).  Could he have waited until the end of the season to take the job?  No (had to start July 4).  Does that make it okay that he bailed in the middle of the season?  Not to me.  I hope he enjoys the SEC (which he seems to be, since he's now making $1MM per year at Georgia), because I don't know who would hire him back into pro ball after that.  I certainly hope the Twins wouldn't

[stringer bell]

I don't mind the idea of choosing a guy who hasn't managed in the big leagues. Guys like Suzuki, Hunter and Punto have spent many years in different clubhouses and have a pretty good idea of what works for teams over a long schedule. As noted by @ashbury, I would hope the interview process reveals what the candidate feels about the Twins organization and what steps he will take to improve the organization. 

I don't want to be an apologist for either Falvey or Rocco, but the decline of the Twins correlates pretty much with reduction in payroll. Big swings (Donaldson, Correa and to some degree Sonny Gray) and big contracts (López, Buxton) are gone and now the transactions are about role players and prospects.

I think Falvey has made plenty of poor decisions on who to get and especially who to keep and Rocco failed to develop guys who were projected to be very good or elite. That is plenty of reason to lose your job, but the rules seemed to be changed after the 2023 season and that is on ownership.

[The Great Hambino]

I haven't yet seen anything beyond rumors, but there are reports that Torii Hunter essentially told the Twins "nah, I'm good" before they even got to the interview stage.  Apparently has no interest in managing the team.

Any truth to this?

[Chembry]

1 hour ago, The Great Hambino said:

I haven't yet seen anything beyond rumors, but there are reports that Torii Hunter essentially told the Twins "nah, I'm good" before they even got to the interview stage.  Apparently has no interest in managing the team.

Any truth to this?

I saw the same thing.  Don't know if there is any truth to it or not.

[Dave Borton]

17 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

I certainly hope the Twins wouldn't (WJohnson)

I have listened to the discussion re: him bailing mid-season. 

I have to remember I am a fan. But I would also like to feel what it is like to be in his shoes. His devotion is to the team, his family, his career. His universe is broader than our single set of two eyes.

Imagine having the inside seat to view Falvey, Baldelli, and Pohlad which he had. Might your loyalties and decision be different than you have as one fan?

Sorry, we are getting sidetracked on Ol' Wes who isn't coming here regardless. May his Bulldogs rest in the basement for eternity.  db

[shortround81]

34 minutes ago, Dave Borton said:

I have listened to the discussion re: him bailing mid-season. 

I have to remember I am a fan. But I would also like to feel what it is like to be in his shoes. His devotion is to the team, his family, his career. His universe is broader than our single set of two eyes.

Imagine having the inside seat to view Falvey, Baldelli, and Pohlad which he had. Might your loyalties and decision be different than you have as one fan?

Sorry, we are getting sidetracked on Ol' Wes who isn't coming here regardless. May his Bulldogs rest in the basement for eternity.  db

As an adult, this is a very well said argument. As a Twins fan, effe that guy! :P 

[shortround81]

2 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

I haven't yet seen anything beyond rumors, but there are reports that Torii Hunter essentially told the Twins "nah, I'm good" before they even got to the interview stage.  Apparently has no interest in managing the team.

Any truth to this?

I love Torii, but I am totally okay with this. At most I would want him managing a Twins alumni softball team

[Doctor Wu]

On 10/23/2025 at 1:02 AM, shortround81 said:

I love Torii, but I am totally okay with this. At most I would want him managing a Twins alumni softball team

Great take on that idea. Now, let's go and find us a guy that really has the desire and the talent to get this team playing up to its potential. 

[shortround81]

Not gonna lie. When I jumped onto FB I saw the pics before the headline and my first thought was Gardy had died. I hate Minnesota sports pessimism 

[Schmoeman5]

On 10/21/2025 at 1:48 PM, nicksaviking said:

During the press conference, Falvey seemed to slip up and confirm ownership was who had Baldelli fired.

Agree, about Falvey as well. Much of the hate is just blanket disillusionment; most who are seething that he's still here wouldn't say a good word about him if he rescued a baby from a burning building. That's fine, I have no special spot in my heart for him and I'd also replace him. But if we're being objective, it's not like he's intentionally putting a losing team on the field. And if ownership did fire Baldelli, then he knows he's on watch and much more likely to look for a new approach instead of doubling down on his prior approach which clearly wasn't working. He's self aware enough to know that doing the same thing that got Baldelli fired isn't going to save his job.

I agree for the most part, except the part where he's not intentionally putting a losing team on the field. When he traded every relevant bullpen arm at the trade deadline. That alone tells anyone that they weren't in it for winning in 25. Now if those trades pay dividends in the future, one can say it was genius. I dont see that happening with what the Twins got in return. Thats a different topic. Yet he will be the one with the most say on hiring the next Twins manager.