Twins Part Ways With Longtime Scouting Executive Deron Johnson

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins are making another change behind the scenes. The organization has parted ways with longtime scout and former amateur scouting director Deron Johnson, according to Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Star Tribune. The Twins eliminated Johnson's senior advisor position, bringing an end to more than three decades with the organization.

Johnson originally joined Minnesota in January 1994 as an area scout covering Northern California. He eventually moved into a larger role as the club's West Coast supervisor before being promoted to scouting director in September 2007.

His tenure leading the amateur scouting department included nine drafts and several notable selections. The first draft under his direction produced Aaron Hicks with the 14th overall pick in 2008. Johnson was also at the helm when Minnesota selected Byron Buxton second overall in 2012.

Other first-round selections made while Johnson served as scouting director included Kohl Stewart, Nick Gordon and Tyler Jay. Not every pick developed into a long-term contributor, but Johnson's fingerprints were on a significant portion of the organization's amateur talent pipeline during that era.

The Twins moved Johnson into a senior advisory role following the 2016 season. Rather than stepping away from scouting, he continued evaluating talent and contributed to professional, international and minor-league scouting efforts. Now, that position has been eliminated.

The timing is notable as Minnesota continues making changes throughout its baseball operations department. The Twins entered the final week of the 2026 season already eliminated from postseason contention, with the organization beginning to look toward what comes next.

Johnson's departure also comes on the same day Minnesota selected the contract of Aaron Sabato, the former first-round pick from the 2020 draft, allowing him to make his major-league debut.

After 32 years with the Twins and a career that included nearly every level of the scouting department, Johnson's departure represents the end of a significant chapter in Minnesota's front-office history.

 

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[DocBauer]

Well...this is a shocker.