What The?!: Derek Falvey to Depart Minnesota Twins Front Office

[TJSweens]

Falvey in a nutshell. Nine drafts have produced one All Star...Brent Rooker.

[ashbury]

4 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Rob Zoll has to carry on. But what direction Rob? 

 

3 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I think his answer would be "My name is Jeremy".

I thought it was Neil.

[JADBP]

Of course he was asked to leave.  Probably politely, firmly, but Minnesota-nicely.  This is all part of Tom cleaning up Joe’s messes!  
 

It’s obvious that Falvey just couldn’t bring consistency and growth to the team.  And,  the lack of an LA-style budget is just a convenient excuse.  I still see small market teams win games. 

[SteveLV]

Shocking announcement, bizarre timing.

Note: PLEASE no politics here guys.  Let's talk Twins and MLB Baseball.  If we go down the politics rabbit hole it will ruin the discussions.  A lot of hot opinions on all sides of these political issues....

[Linus]

8 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

Shocking announcement, bizarre timing.

Note: PLEASE no politics here guys.  Let's talk Twins and MLB Baseball.  If we go down the politics rabbit hole it will ruin the discussions.  A lot of hot opinions on all sides of these political issues....

Everyone is doing fine. 

[D.C Twins]

11 hours ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Wow. I wonder if Falvey is out because he wanted to be - i.e., tired of the penny pinching - or if Tom Pohlad grew tired of the roster construction.

yes

[Joe A. Preusser]

Steve, this is literally page 7 and it has been 100% baseball.

Thanks for the fun real to all.  I had literally a dozen actual laugh out loud moments.  

[JADBP]

4 hours ago, CoachDW said:

FINALLY! Both Falvey and Baldelli should have been fired after the epic collapse down the stretch in 2024; not doing so was a big mistake. When Baldelli was ousted last October, Falvey should have been shown the door as well. The Twins have totally wasted this entire off-season, and the timing of this move is very strange, coming just a few weeks before pitchers and catchers report - but better late than never. 

I agree, but the kid Pohlad was still running (or ruining?) the team back in 24.  Now his big bro is trying to clean up his messes! 

[D.C Twins]

11 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Tom Pohlad seems to have some experience actually running a business. He seems to have left PAR in better shape than he found it.

We will get to see how the "difference of opinion" plays out. There is nobody left to buy in free agency, so they can't pivot and spend money even if they wanted to. My guess is we will see Joe Ryan traded. Nobody is buying tickets. That means nobody will care if the team is good or terrible in 2026. Don't expect Buxton, Lopez, Jeffers, Bell or Ober to be with the team in September.

This... this....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand.... THIS!

[D.C Twins]

11 hours ago, Cris E said:

Oh, a couple other thoughts:
I expect taking this team into the season with one more crappy bullpen arm in order to sell tickets, and once the season tickets are as sold as they're going to get there will be a major sell-off over the course of the summer. 

Within a year you'll start seeing the good work that Falvey did come to fruition. the pitching pipeline that you all mock so much is going to start launching good careers: Abel, Bradley, Mathews and so on, plus the hitters coming through are going to be pretty good eventually. If anyone here has any integrity you should be acknowledging this administration's work.

In 2027, after the CBA is settled, I expect one of the minor partners to buy up 51% and ride the kids to the ALCS before 2030. They'll spend what the Pohlads were always afraid to and win.

[D.C Twins]

11 hours ago, Cris E said:

How would anyone separate Zoll from Falvey? They worked together for years, Falvey practically  raised him. Maybe a difference of opinion on the sell-off? a coup? There's quite a story hiding here.

Zoll's job will be to complete the sell off, take the public blame and quietly receive an amazing golden parachute so the new leadership can come in with a clean slate.

This is basic big business 101... much of the future is a mystery, but not what is going on with the Twins.

[D.C Twins]

10 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

I don't care for this move at all.  I have a feeling the Pohlads were telling Falvey that the payroll available for players in the future is not going to allow Falvey to put a competitive team on the field and Falvey wasn't interested in that any longer as he's already had to put up with that for 2 years.  I prefer Falvey's leadership to what the Pohlads probably want to put in place - a owner 'YES' man.

ummm... he had 9 years to figure things out and didn't.... sooooooo....... 

[D.C Twins]

10 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

Falvey and Kwesi fired same day.  I'm issuing a commerative coin.

I am nominating this as the comment winner for this story!

 

[D.C Twins]

10 hours ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

You have to wonder what Dereck Shelton is thinking. The guy who he knew in 2019 and who hired him now just got fired. Is he safe and if so, is that just for now? this could rapidly spin out of control unless someone does some serious triage. Here's looking at you, Tom.  

Shelton knew this was and will continue as a total S-show.... he was and is thinking 'I'm gonna CASH 'DEM CHECKS!!!!!'

[D.C Twins]

6 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Regardless if any of us like or dislike Falvey. 

The timing could not be worse. 

Who knows how the power structure actually works. To my understanding (which isn't worth much) Falvey was in charge of everything from the price of hot dogs to the staffing to the rosters. Everybody answers to Derek. He's not leaving if the staff working for him is insubordinate or disagrees with direction. 

That leaves only one level above him where direction can be questioned. Sure sounds like we have a directional disagreement at 1 Twins Way because the timing couldn't be worse. 

I don't know what direction the winds are blowing out of Tom Pohlad and the ownership group. I don't know the direction of the winds that were blowing with Joe Pohlad and I don't know what direction the winds are blowing with Derek Falvey. 

Is it Derek that wants to go for it? Is it the Pohlads that want to go for it? Someone said we are keeping Joe Ryan and going for it?

Who is the driving force behind Keeping Ryan and going for it?

Is that person still in the building? 

Regardless of the answer... The timing sucks as the Off-season is winding down.

If they are changing plans on January 30. What a WASTE of October, November, December and 29 days of January.  

All we can do is watch comes next. Player movement or lack of movement as we head toward Fort Myers. 

All I know... the club is still lumpy. The club isn't complete. Rob Zoll has to carry on. But what direction Rob? What Direction? Whatever the answer... it must be coming from above. 

 

[D.C Twins]

I'm only confused about one thing with all of this.....

Are the Twins officially the Cleveland Browns or the Las Vegas Raiders of the MLB?

(on a side note... we need to set up a schedule of wellness checks for the TD writers this year... reporting on the team this year is truly going to be cruel and unusual punishment....)

[Fatbat]

Who here is still giddy that Falvey is gobe? Just checking in…..

[Mahoning]

How long before we look back wistfully at The Falvey Era?

[Doctor Wu]

A shocker indeed. Without Falvey around, I suppose the Zoll-bashing will begin. 

[Doctor Wu]

13 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

If they are changing plans on January 30. What a WASTE of October, November, December and 29 days of January.  

Yep, should have been done at least 3 months ago. Very bizarre. 

[Major League Ready]

15 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

 

Is it Derek that wants to go for it? Is it the Pohlads that want to go for it? Someone said we are keeping Joe Ryan and going for it?

Who is the driving force behind Keeping Ryan and going for it?

Is that person still in the building? 

I would like to know who decided to tear down the BP and then "go for it" in 2026" where go for it means spending less and where the additions are Bell and Caratini.  That's just delusional.  The Cardinals were in a similar position.  What did they do?  They traded their best SP while paying $20M of his salary.    

If that person is Joe Pohlad or the Pohlad family, we are fighting an uphill battle until they are gone.

[Old Crow]

21 hours ago, Chembry said:

Wondering if this is fallout from the deadline fire sale. 

better late than never.

[SteveLV]

There were 2 political comments early in the thread.  

This website is terrific, and I would hate for it to descend into something like Canus Hoopus for the Wolves. Yech.

[Riverbrian]

3 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I would like to know who decided to tear down the BP and then "go for it" in 2026" where go for it means spending less and where the additions are Bell and Caratini.  That's just delusional.  The Cardinals were in a similar position.  What did they do?  They traded their best SP while paying $20M of his salary.    

If that person is Joe Pohlad or the Pohlad family, we are fighting an uphill battle until they are gone.

What a needle to thread. Start with a team that fell out of contention two years running. Sprinkle in what you said "tear down BP" plus Correa and spend less. Declare we are going for it. Spend your limited allocation on large crater sized development holes that will need to be replaced the following year. .

I've never met him, I don't know what he likes for breakfast, how he deals with employees. if he kicks puppies and yells at old people.  I don't know what his personal baseball philosphies... however,.. based on what he has done with Rays and Red Sox. I'd love to see Chaim Bloom in Falvey's chair. 

[chpettit19]

3 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I would like to know who decided to tear down the BP and then "go for it" in 2026" where go for it means spending less and where the additions are Bell and Caratini.  That's just delusional.  The Cardinals were in a similar position.  What did they do?  They traded their best SP while paying $20M of his salary.    

If that person is Joe Pohlad or the Pohlad family, we are fighting an uphill battle until they are gone.

Joe Pohlad decided to tear it down while big brother Tom apparently decided to "go big" with Bell and Caratini. Or at least those are the reports coming out over the last 20ish hours. Classic Pohlad family brilliance.

[USAFChief]

Here's the bottom line:

9 years into Falvey's tenure, the Twins have

- 2 above average position players: Buxton and a part timer in Jeffers. Only one of those came to the Twins during Falvey's time. The other is aging and a constant injury risk. That's it. Question marks or outright failures everywhere else

- zero bullpen assets. Zero. 4 or 5 mediocrities or worse, then squadoosh. For what many people here like to refer to as "the easiest thing to build" (those many people are way wrong, of course, but I read that often.) How do you get to a position where not one, single solitary reliever in an 8 man pen isn't someone you can depend on??

- 2 good starters, neither of which were developed under Falvey

- 1, maybe as many as 3, prospects that have a realistic chance at being above average MLBers some day. Whoop-de-doo. That and 5 bucks will get you a coffee.

- a team that, if we're honest, has no chance of being competitive on several years

 

No matter who owned the team, Falvey was a failure, by the standards he himself set when hired.  

They weren't perpetually competitive. Just the opposite. One strong team (2019) that he gets partial credit for, and a couple teams only in contention for the weak ALC.

 

Adios.

[D.C Twins]

13 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Here's the bottom line:

9 years into Falvey's tenure, the Twins have

- 2 above average position players: Buxton and a part timer in Jeffers. Only one of those came to the Twins during Falvey's time. The other is aging and a constant injury risk. That's it. Question marks or outright failures everywhere else

- zero bullpen assets. Zero. 4 or 5 mediocrities or worse, then squadoosh. For what many people here like to refer to as "the easiest thing to build" (those many people are way wrong, of course, but I read that often.) How do you get to a position where not one, single solitary reliever in an 8 man pen isn't someone you can depend on??

- 2 good starters, neither of which were developed under Falvey

- 1, maybe as many as 3, prospects that have a realistic chance at being above average MLBers some day. Whoop-de-doo. That and 5 bucks will get you a coffee.

- a team that, if we're honest, has no chance of being competitive on several years

 

No matter who owned the team, Falvey was a failure, by the standards he himself set when hired.  

They weren't perpetually competitive. Just the opposite. One strong team (2019) that he gets partial credit for, and a couple teams only in contention for the weak ALC.

 

Adios.

You had me at 'squadoosh'  :)

[AceWrigley]

13 hours ago, D.C Twins said:

 

Where did you get the pic of the Twin's bullpen?

[bean5302]

The Pohlads have always been hands off owners when it comes to roster construction. I don't know why people continue to dream they're leading scouting meetings and doing contract negotitions. The Pohlads were a totally different leadership group last year. Now with new minority owners and Tom not buddy-buddy like Joe was with Falvey, it feels obvious what's happening.

Tom and minority owners aren't impressed with what Falvey's accomplished, and they shouldn't be. Falvey did make sweeping changes at the trade deadline to gut the bullpen. The MLB talent Falvey brought back to replace outgoing MLB talent is of questionable value moving forward, largely redundant, and they players were not productive. Despite assurances the team was not going to use half measures, Falvey has once again entered into 2026 with the philosophy of signing ten quad-A type of players while re-arranging deck chairs because he can't help himself.

Watching serious talent come back from recent rotation arm trades in the past couple weeks had to push Tom to the boiling point since Falvey refused to move similar talent. The message is crystal clear. Falvey doesn't believe in his pitching pipeline and Falvey isn't going to operate like the teams the Pohlads have repeatedly mentioned as successful models for mid and small market franchises.

I don't know as Zoll is the answer, but Falvey was the big problem.

[howeda7]

On 1/30/2026 at 10:58 AM, Cris E said:

Guessing here:
Falvey probably isn't as good at business as he is at baseball, but the financial malfeasance predates him.  He didn't get that job until 2024, after the fire sale and $400m hole was dug.

Tom P is the new face of ownership, but I bet the new financial partners are getting far enough into ops to start offering some "advice". They may have offered him some money to put some lipstick on this pig at the time of transition, but after seeing the ticket sales "bounce" and the anticipated streaming revenue it might have been reeled back just as Derek was going into his last weeks of winter rag picking. 

Not getting the promised money right now probably initiated a hard discussion about 2026 resources, separating the business role, and maybe some "then this really can't work, can't it?" and a mutual reset. They may not actually know what their next step is right now, beyond playing kids and sorting bullpen arms. 

Again, I'm betting this goes back to wavering, indecisive ownership changing direction, changing budget, changing commitment. Cannot wait for them to sell.

Below average at the baseball side and in completely over his head on the business side is a bad combination.