Grading Jeremy Zoll After One Season as Twins General Manager

[Captain John]

 At this stage of the Twins team development I will give Zoll the benefit of the doubt for 2026 and give him a C grade. But in 2027 I expect some serious improvement with the team including making the playoffs or Zoll should be gone. The man has been riding the Falvey coat-tails for better or worse and it is time he steps out and shows us why he should keep the job.

[Twins GFP]

35 minutes ago, Brandon said:

See post. Above they were penny pinching with Jackson guaranteed 1.8 million in majors or minors and last bench spot at 710 or 720k guarantee.  Why pay two salaries after adding payroll at the deadline.

This is a very distinct possibility and probably played a role in the decision.

If that was the case, we still would not know who to blame. Pohlad? Zoll? Shelton? Probably a combination of all three and more...

[Mike Sixel]

F.

And that's generous. They did everything wrong this off-season, and during the season. Other than promoting Culpeper and Jenkins. 

Also, as Chief points out, the easiest of facts is wrong in this article and TD should be embarrassed. 

[terrydactyls]

I give Zoll a D- based solely on his trade deadline decision that the Twins were a competitive team and he chose to be a buyer.

Edited 11 hours ago by terrydactyls
Clarity

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

"(Zoll) took over for Falvey approximately two weeks before spring training."

I have trouble believing stuff this wrong gets published at TD. I mean, it's Christie, but is there zero editorial review?

Zoll was named GM in November 2024. He's been in the chair for two seasons. 

 

https://www.mlb.com/amp/news/jeremy-zoll-named-twins-general-manager.html

 

Two things going on here, though: Zoll got the title that had been held by Levine in 2024, but was still answering to Falvey until just before the 2026 season. YMMV on how much you think that matters and how much additional responsibility (if any) Zoll took on when Falvey was let go and not replaced.

[LA Vikes Fan]

1 hour ago, Twins GFP said:

This...

Haters are going to hate, finding everything that went wrong and ignoring the rest.
Pollyannas are going to find everything that went right and ignore the rest.

Grading Zoll at this point is like grading a SP outing after the first inning.

This. The guy took over two weeks before the end of Spring Training. He played the previous administrations perhaps the season and then make some changes. Lumping him in with what his boss did, actually two bosses if you count Levine while he was there, is manifestly unfair. How much influence did he have during that time? I have no idea and neither does anyone else here. Let's give the guy a chance and see what he can do.

[The Great Hambino]

14 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Two things going on here, though: Zoll got the title that had been held by Levine in 2024, but was still answering to Falvey until just before the 2026 season. YMMV on how much you think that matters and how much additional responsibility (if any) Zoll took on when Falvey was let go and not replaced.

Yeah, I read that as he replaced Falvey as the top decision maker on the baseball side of things two weeks before training camp.  I think I've heard/read some stuff that the decision for Falvey to leave was actually made a few weeks prior but they delayed the official announcement until after Twins Fest.  That would've given Zoll a little more time at the top, but still not much.

It's hard to know how much extra responsibility he took on since it's hard to know how much he had in the first place.

[tony&rodney]

Who makes the decisions? Zoll? It seems like the buck stops with Zoll but I have no idea.

If Zoll holds responsibility for roster construction in 2026 or for 2027, there can be fair comments. The Twins were pretty pathetic about addressing their needs last offseason and then they kept players at the trade deadline that may have returned something worthwhile going forward. Thus I find it hard to defend the decisions made in 2025-2026. Vegas made 73 wins the bet, while online sites typically picked the Twins around 78 wins. Are 70 some wins the ultimate goal? So, who makes the decisions? If Zoll is a primary player, he gets a bum review from me.

More importantly, at least now, is how the folks (whomever) who make decisions come up with a plan to roster a competitive team for 2027. I see 3-7 moves as necessary for the Twins. The past habit of rolling it back has to stop. Change is essential. Another lame offseason will not be acceptable. The changes made by the manager and coaches on the field were a start, but now there needs to be player additions to boost the talent and game level.

[Mike Sixel]

37 minutes ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

This. The guy took over two weeks before the end of Spring Training. He played the previous administrations perhaps the season and then make some changes. Lumping him in with what his boss did, actually two bosses if you count Levine while he was there, is manifestly unfair. How much influence did he have during that time? I have no idea and neither does anyone else here. Let's give the guy a chance and see what he can do.

He bought at the deadline, despite this being a BAD team.....that's on him. 

[Czelgert]

Falvey was a poor developer of talent over a large sample size.  Each team in the division has had more playoff success in the last 10 years than the Twins.  Is there any reason to believe that Falvey’s understudy is better at building a roster than Falvey himself?  Zoll basically wasted a valuable roster spot on Jackson while the team cratered in the second half.  Please raise your hand if you think that Zoll is one of 30 best minds in the baseball world.  If he isn’t then he shouldn’t be heading a MLB team.  The team needs new leadership.  

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

Two things going on here, though: Zoll got the title that had been held by Levine in 2024, but was still answering to Falvey until just before the 2026 season. YMMV on how much you think that matters and how much additional responsibility (if any) Zoll took on when Falvey was let go and not replaced.

Even if Falvey had final approval, it was Zoll negotiating the acquisitions.

[LastOnePicked]

I still go back to the question HarmonK posted a few weeks back: How does Pohlad know that Zoll is the right person for the job? How much effort did Pohlad put into evaluating Zoll's work?

My fear is that he came to this conclusion because Zoll is a "yes man." If Zoll thought it was better to complete the rebuild last offseason by trading Jeffers, Ryan and Lopez, but didn't say so for fear of contradicting his boss during his boss's coronation, then I want him gone. No "yes man" can ever make this team a winner.

Because of their decision to keep Ryan and Lopez, this is absolutely the make-or-break year for this franchise for the forseeable future. There is no pitching help left in this organization. It will take 4-5 years to put elite arms into this system, and by then, the controllable years of the new core will nearly have been wasted.

If Zoll trades Ryan this offseason but this team still talks about "going for it" in '27, it will signal that he is a fundamentally unserious GM on a fundamentally unserious team.

[Coach]

4 hours ago, Brandon said:

There are 26 players on rosters today after 100 years of 25.  The last spot doesn't matter near as much as you are giving value to it. Getting 4 pitchers at the deadline is an approach.  We had the number 1 offense in the AL at the trade deadline. Although we could have used 1 more hitter.... What else were you expecting at the trade deadline?  

I am just happy this was a fun season, we were in the race most of the year.  We had an opportunity to win, and we are positioned well for next year.

So much better than last year.  Can't wait for next year!

[Coach]

3 hours ago, Brandon said:

See post. Above they were penny pinching with Jackson guaranteed 1.8 million in majors or minors and last bench spot at 710 or 720k guarantee.  Why pay two salaries after adding payroll at the deadline.

A 1.8 million insurance policy (Jackson) is not a bad deal with the uncertainty of our catching position.

[bean5302]

3 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Two things going on here, though: Zoll got the title that had been held by Levine in 2024, but was still answering to Falvey until just before the 2026 season. YMMV on how much you think that matters and how much additional responsibility (if any) Zoll took on when Falvey was let go and not replaced.

So after 5 years of being an assistant GM, 1.5 years of being the actual GM, Zoll had no opinions of his own because Falvey made the final calls?

Zoll wasn't a scout or an administrative assistant who was handed the GM keys out of the blue. He had nearly 7 years to prepare for the role.

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, Twins GFP said:

Respectfully, we as fans will never know the answer. Did the manager push to keep him? Was there a concerted effort to trade Jeffers that never came to fruition? Did the FO dictate the decision? Did ownership dictate the decision?

I get that many times decisions can look wonky from the outside looking in. But anybody who has coached at basically any level knows that there are sometimes 100 things that can go into a decision. I am not saying they are right or wrong, but we will never know the why and who is responsible.

The GM is responsible for roster decisions. PERIOD. I know who is responsible.

Here's a job description for the role. https://jobdescription.org/jobs/sports/mlb-general-manager

Quote

Oversee 40-man roster construction, making the decisions that determine which players are protected, which are traded, and which are DFA'd

The GM can solicit the homeless guy on the corner for advice if he wants, but the GM is accountable for the decision and the input he solicits and values. Passing the buck along isn't going to fly with me.

[MeleMouth]

4 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

F.

And that's generous. They did everything wrong this off-season, and during the season. Other than promoting Culpeper and Jenkins. 

Also, as Chief points out, the easiest of facts is wrong in this article and TD should be embarrassed. 

The Twins have done very little right since they let Sonny Gray go at the end of 2023 and acquired Trevor Richards at the 2024 deadline. With those decisions, they also quietly decided that they weren't going to be a top competitor, but it also began a series of bad decisions.

Their first bad decision was to deny the reality of their situation. Instead, since then, they've claimed they were doing a competitive rebuild, which has failed to either successfully compete or rebuild. Most but not all of their trades accomplished short-term goals, although some failed to even do that, while most of the trades also generally lost value on a long-term basis. More former Twins than current Twins are thriving.

Now, they're selling a song and a dance about adding a couple of interesting prospects to a line-up whose only All-Star is coming off yet another serious surgery after yet another season-ending injury, as if having a couple of decent prospects is some unique thing unmatched by any other team, particularly other teams who already have better players. Because of the failure of the front office to acquire additional talent, there is no Plan B if either Jenkins or Culpepper are not outstanding in their first full year, making another disappointing season likely.

The team's results and outlook have much more in common with the Reds and the Rockies than with other lower-budget teams. The GM's grade shouldn't be much different than their bad record and cloudy outlook. But the GM makes the owner happy.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Impossible for me to give a GM a passing grade who doesn't know when to hold them, fold them or when to draw. Zoll didn't know. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

6 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Zoll took over with a directive from ownership to be competitive. Zoll did.... nothing before the start of the year. The fact Zoll rolled the same roster out and made no moves is on him. Opening day 2026 for the Twins was a projected 78 win team, not 73 wins. He had months to make changes before the start of the season to turn that 73 win projection into a better situation. Not addressing the bullpen before the beginning of the season is on him.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-power-rankings-opening-day-2026-no-1-18/

ESPN, same thing.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48287373/opening-day-2026-mlb-season-preview-rankings-every-team-playoff-odds-world-series-chances#min

So no... the Twins didn't outperform.

Beyond that...

Carrying James Outman half the year is on him. Bizarre Alex Jackson roster moves is on him. Not committing to an approach at the deadline? Not addressing the rotation needs? It's on Zoll. Redundant roster issues after the deadline? Still present because Zoll apparently couldn't juggle his responsibilities and forgot about those. 

He needs more experience? Guess 6 years learning the role isn't enough. Zoll's been assistant GM since being promoted after the 2019 season.

He's Falvey 2.0, only probably even more passive (worse).

Last 4 teams standing today were ranked 29, 24, 19 and 1 by fangraphs.com.   Not much credibility in this ranking.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, MeleMouth said:

Now, they're selling a song and a dance about adding a couple of interesting prospects to a line-up whose only All-Star is coming off yet another serious surgery after yet another season-ending injury, as if having a couple of decent prospects is some unique thing unmatched by any other team, particularly other teams who already have better players. Because of the failure of the front office to acquire additional talent, there is no Plan B if either Jenkins or Culpepper are not outstanding in their first full year, making another disappointing season likely.

Several commenters here would like to see a Plan A of “Jenkins, Culpepper, Rodriguez and Houston are all outstanding in 2027” and no plan B. That’s a plan with a 90% chance of failure.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 hours ago, LastOnePicked said:

 There is no pitching help left in this organization. It will take 4-5 years to put elite arms into this system, and by then, the controllable years of the new core will nearly have been wasted.

 

Bradley, Prielipp, Abel, Mathews, Quick, Festa, Bohorquez, Rojas, Wachsman, Soto, Renfro, Ellwanger, Gallagher, LaPour and Murdock. All are young and half of them will improve and advance by 2028.

[MeleMouth]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

Several commenters here would like to see a Plan A of “Jenkins, Culpepper, Rodriguez and Houston are all outstanding in 2027” and no plan B. That’s a plan with a 90% chance of failure.

Think about it this way.

A comp for Jenkins could be Kyle Tucker. After having a rough cup of coffee when he was 21, he was in AAA during his age 22 season, then had 1.8 fWAR at age 23.

For Culpepper, a ceiling could be Konnor Griffin, the #1 prospect at the start of 2026. He had 1.4 fWAR in 2026.

A comp for ERod could be Trent Grisham, although Grisham had a lot fewer K's in the minors, with 16.3% in his age 22 season in AA/AAA. After the COVID season, in his first full major league season, when he was 24, he had 2.5 fWAR.

Houston is in the minors. For sake of discussion, let's say he also is as good as Griffin this year, at 1.4 fWAR.

Those would be very successful first seasons for each player, perhaps 90% to 100% outcomes, but they would not be super achievements leading to great success for the team. They total 7.1 fWAR.

To get enough playing time, they would displace four other players. If you say that they displace Larnach, Kreidler, Martin, and Lewis, their 4.2 fWAR go away.

Therefore, great years from the four prospects would add approximately 2.9 fWAR to the team. Adding that amount to the 2026 Twins would place their offense seventh this year. However, note that (1) this result is based on 90% to 100% outcomes for all four prospects; (2) getting as much out of Clemens and the catcher position; and (3) a return to good health and performance for Buxton. In other words, everything has to go right with Plan A.

[Blyleven2011]

Grading Zoll , if we grade falvey with an F , Zoll an apprentice under falvey and we get the same mind boggling decisions we got from falvey …

we didn’t see any difference with Zoll calling the shots , it’s like falvey never left  …

get rid of Zoll or pohlads give him the money to acquire high upside talent , not use the money like falvey did for just an average player for depth believing our roster was good enough to contend  …

will we see Zoll being better at adding players that fill a needed position rather than just a depth player …

time will tell …

[SE23]

6 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Who makes the decisions? Zoll? It seems like the buck stops with Zoll but I have no idea.

If Zoll holds responsibility for roster construction in 2026 or for 2027, there can be fair comments. The Twins were pretty pathetic about addressing their needs last offseason and then they kept players at the trade deadline that may have returned something worthwhile going forward. Thus I find it hard to defend the decisions made in 2025-2026. Vegas made 73 wins the bet, while online sites typically picked the Twins around 78 wins. Are 70 some wins the ultimate goal? So, who makes the decisions? If Zoll is a primary player, he gets a bum review from me.

More importantly, at least now, is how the folks (whomever) who make decisions come up with a plan to roster a competitive team for 2027. I see 3-7 moves as necessary for the Twins. The past habit of rolling it back has to stop. Change is essential. Another lame offseason will not be acceptable. The changes made by the manager and coaches on the field were a start, but now there needs to be player additions to boost the talent and game level.

3-7 seems like the right range to me:

1. Acquire a 2-3 WAR second baseman (preferably one who can also back up at SS)

2. Acquire a solid catcher for less than half what Jeffers would cost us 

3. Move Lewis and upgrade 1B by trade, FA or internal solution

4. Move Larnach or non-tender

5. Spend the winter looking for trade opportunities wherein we acquire several young pitching prospects in return for some of our 11-30 prospects, thereby adding depth at Ft Myers, CR and Wichita.

6. Focus upcoming drafts on signing pitching talent

[bean5302]

3 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Last 4 teams standing today were ranked 29, 24, 19 and 1 by fangraphs.com.   Not much credibility in this ranking.

You should definitely apply to Fangraphs and ESPN. You're clearly more knowledgeable than their entire staff of professionals. Maybe throw your hat into any open GM positions around the league. I'm sure you'd solve their problems.

[HarmonK03]

10 hours ago, Brandon said:

They are getting Abel and Lopez back and full seasons of Jenkins, Culpepper and Rodriguez on the roster.  That's 5 significant internal upgrades already.  We need a C, 1 B and DH and 2 relievers. What else are you thinking?  

What does getting Abel back do for the team.  He has a had few good outings, so have many other pitchers in their careers.  I keep seeing comments that he is a savior for this team, why, we don't know what he can do yet.  Yes if he can replicate his success of the last couple outings he pitched this year he will be a key cog.  But we have no way of knowing what he will do next year.

[HarmonK03]

9 hours ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

How much influence did he have during that time

He was Falvey's number 2 since 2024 in the organization, he had a great amount of influence.  It was even hinted at when Levine left, that Zoll had replaced him in the pecking order of having Falvey's ear for the prior couple of years.  Zoll's fingerprints are all over this roster and the trade deadline from last year.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

11 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Zoll took over with a directive from ownership to be competitive. Zoll did.... nothing before the start of the year. The fact Zoll rolled the same roster out and made no moves is on him. Opening day 2026 for the Twins was a projected 78 win team, not 73 wins. He had months to make changes before the start of the season to turn that 73 win projection into a better situation. Not addressing the bullpen before the beginning of the season is on him.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fangraphs-power-rankings-opening-day-2026-no-1-18/

ESPN, same thing.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48287373/opening-day-2026-mlb-season-preview-rankings-every-team-playoff-odds-world-series-chances#min

So no... the Twins didn't outperform.

Beyond that...

Carrying James Outman half the year is on him. Bizarre Alex Jackson roster moves is on him. Not committing to an approach at the deadline? Not addressing the rotation needs? It's on Zoll. Redundant roster issues after the deadline? Still present because Zoll apparently couldn't juggle his responsibilities and forgot about those. 

He needs more experience? Guess 6 years learning the role isn't enough. Zoll's been assistant GM since being promoted after the 2019 season.

He's Falvey 2.0, only probably even more passive (worse).

Saying Zoll had “months” is accurate but also a bit unfair. The top spot was removed from above him January 30, two weeks before pitchers and catchers report.

Not a lot of quality left in free agency past the middle of January.

the guy had meddling and indecisive leadership for 95% of the active offseason.

He did make some trades to improve during the season, but also had several roster spots that he punted on 3rd down and two from mid field.

very much a below average to bad first season.

[Riverbrian]

I don't know. I would really like to know the inner workings of the front office but I don't. 

Whoever, made the decision to go for it. Made a real questionable decision and it almost worked. Yet.... it was clearly questionable and I'd hope they wouldn't do it again... if they had a redo.

If that was Zoll... I can't give him a high grade because it cost us time. We didn't have a bullpen... not even close to having a bullpen in order to attempt such things. Yes our starting pitching was decent but we didn't have the bullpen to support it... and... and...  we had Joe Ryan at peak trade value that would have fetched an incredible return. 

We should have taken another step forward and finished what was started at the trade deadline. We didn't... we went for it. 

Now we've lost significant trade value and significant time toward peak next core. 

I don't know whose call that was. But it was the wrong call and not an "oh well" type mistake. 

If it wasn't his call. Zoll did rather good because it almost worked. 

[Brandon]

1 hour ago, HarmonK03 said:

What does getting Abel back do for the team.  He has a had few good outings, so have many other pitchers in their careers.  I keep seeing comments that he is a savior for this team, why, we don't know what he can do yet.  Yes if he can replicate his success of the last couple outings he pitched this year he will be a key cog.  But we have no way of knowing what he will do next year.

I didn't say he was a savior only that he is an upgrade.  He has talent.  But 2 starting pitchers and 3 position players is a good start.  Resign Jeffers and Minter and Bell and need a 1B and another reliever.