A Former Player’s Perspective on What to Expect out of a Big League Manager:

[Parfigliano]

5 hours ago, PDX Twin said:

I'm afraid you all are right. That will mean further estrange me from the club I've followed since 1961. Adios, Twins.

Don't give up now.  Things are starting to get interesting.

[tony&rodney]

All these articles and comments point to the most important offseason in a decade for the Twins. 

[smartfred]

Falvey mentioned it a few times that the performance on the field didn’t match the projections they had to begin the year. I would assume the front office assembles a team and projects the season and it’s up to the manager to reach those projections using the assets you have. This isn’t just in the MLB this is every business from small to enormous. Injuries are a weak excuse because especially in today’s game on average, teams use 14 SP’s during the season (using 2025 data), so if you’re expecting to break camp with 5 guys that will be there the whole season you’re out of your mind. Once you add positional players in the mix, you’ll have completely different teams.
 

Rocco failed to get the best out of his players for multiple seasons and that’s where I have the problem. Mid-low budget teams rely on development to be competitive and missing on MLB talent consistently you failed at your job. Julian, Lee, Waller, Miranda, and too many others to list. 
 

In my opinion, now that Falvey has a new manager and he sold off the team to rebuild, this is where he comes to the chopping block. He’s already blamed failure on his managers and players so now he’s the common piece in everything. He selected another manager of his choosing along with trading all of the Twins assets for players of his choosing. If the team fails to build a contender in the next 3 seasons, this is on him and he should be done. 
 

Im not happy with the owners because they built a new stadium with the promise of spending money on payroll by hiking up taxes. They are clearly not doing this and I don’t like being lied to and better yet paying for someone else’s lies.

[Paul D]

The FO meets with the manager practically every game.  I know they are not talking about their golf games, so the discussion has to be: 1) lineup, 2) bull pen availability, 3) pinch hitting moves late in the game, and 4) matchups based on analytics.  Any big deviation by the manager from the discussions at this meeting would not be looked upon favorably.

The move that was the most detrimental for the Twins was the signing of Carlos Correa.  While I won't even discuss the disappointment in his contributions to the team, I recognize that the payroll cutback was $30M.  Sound like a familiar number?  The team would have been able to add a mid-level Free Agent each year if they had not gone out and blew the budget on one big purchase.  I'm sure the Pohlad's had to approve the signing, but buyer's remorse must have set in when they realized the effect on the financial position of the business.  Double blame there, Pohlad for saying yes without seeing the future ramifications, Falvey for not recognizing that people smarter than him would touch CC with a 10 foot pole.  The sacrificial lamb was Rocco and they now have sacrificial lamb II unless Pohlad is able to connect the dots and see where the weakest link is (besides himself).

[Cris E]

A couple things:

@Alex BoxwellWhat are your thoughts about the number of rookies on this team that might still be developing their routine and learning who they are at the MLB level (eg Keashall, Lee maybe, Martin, half the pitching staff after Aug 1)?  Does coaching matter more to them than usual, or do mentor players make a bigger difference?

Also, even replacing Falvey wouldn't make much difference this year if the parameters of the  budget don't change.  If Pohlads want to lay in some money for the cold winter coming next year there's nothing to do but watch the Twins lose 100 or go to Saints games and see who is going to on the field in 2027.  No manager or GM can win in the current game with a $80-90m payroll. 

[Alex Boxwell]

1 hour ago, Cris E said:

A couple things:

@Alex BoxwellWhat are your thoughts about the number of rookies on this team that might still be developing their routine and learning who they are at the MLB level (eg Keashall, Lee maybe, Martin, half the pitching staff after Aug 1)?  Does coaching matter more to them than usual, or do mentor players make a bigger difference?

Also, even replacing Falvey wouldn't make much difference this year if the parameters of the  budget don't change.  If Pohlads want to lay in some money for the cold winter coming next year there's nothing to do but watch the Twins lose 100 or go to Saints games and see who is going to on the field in 2027.  No manager or GM can win in the current game with a $80-90m payroll. 

I've always thought high school picks and international signs are more subject to what the player development staff has to offer.

As for the college bats we have, I've always thought they're high floor-low ceiling type prospects. They had an approach that worked at a relatively high level and if that doesn't translate it can be difficult to unlearn habits that brought you so much success. 

I think other players always will have a bigger impact at that level. Hearing from a veteran who's been through it recently can do wonders for players mental game. A player like Buxton I think is a phenomenal vet to have in the clubhouse since he's been through it all a in his career.