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

The Minnesota Twins and top baseball executive Derek Falvey are parting ways, the team announced to staff in a stunning internal email Friday morning. Falvey, 42, ran baseball operations for Minnesota for nine seasons. The team issued a press release announcing the move shortly after sharing it internally.

Falvey began his career with Cleveland, worked his way through a variety of front-office roles, and ultimately rose to assistant general manager. He joined Minnesota in the fall of 2016 as the Twins’ top baseball decision-maker, with a background built on process, research, and analytics (particularly in regard to pitching) and emphasizing relationships and culture. 

The Twins hired Falvey to lead a reset after a 103-loss season, and much of his early impact came behind the scenes. Under his leadership, Minnesota invested in technology and information, modernizing how they integrated pro scouting, player development, medical/performance, and research. That foundation helped fuel competitive peaks, including a quick return to the postseason in 2017, and the 2019 breakout, when the Twins won 101 games with their Bomba Squad. 

These efforts were recognized by Executive Chair Tom Pohlad in the Twins press release. "When he joined the Twins nine years ago, it was, in many ways, a watershed moment for this franchise. His leadership was transformational. He helped modernize every aspect of our baseball operations and led with strong values, intention, and purpose," stated Pohlad.

With success came some bold roster bets: signing Josh Donaldson, committing long-term to Byron Buxton, aggressively pursuing Carlos Correa, and trading Luis Arráez for Pablo López. He also developed the pitching pipeline the fans were promised, with somewhat middling results. 

After the 2023 season, when the Twins snapped their 18-game postseason losing streak, won a Wild Card series, and advanced to the ALDS, the club’s payroll was cut by roughly $30 million. Those reductions have continued, with next year’s payroll currently projected around $100 million, down from roughly $160 million in 2023. With fewer resources, the team’s offseason additions have been modest, and at the most recent trade deadline the Twins pivoted sharply toward shedding salary and stockpiling depth, moving 11 players in total, including Carlos Correa.

In this latest phase, Falvey was elevated to President, expanding his responsibilities to include both the baseball and business sides of the operation. He’s held that role amid major organizational turbulence: an effort to sell the franchise, a restructuring of approximately $500 million in team debt, and an ownership transition, with Tom Pohlad succeeding Joe Pohlad as the club’s Executive Chair. His role, his boss, and the franchise's trajectory have changed significantly over the last two years compared with his first seven years with the franchise. 

"Ownership transitions naturally create moments for reflection and honest dialogue about leadership, vision, and how an organization wants to move forward," wrote Derek Falvey in the team's press release. "Over the past several weeks we had those conversations openly and constructively and ultimately reached a shared understanding that this was the right step both for the organization and for me personally."

Those changes were also recognized by Tom Pohlad. "Over the past several weeks, Derek and I had thoughtful and candid conversations about leadership, structure, and the future of the club," Pohlad wrote in the team's press release. "We reached a shared understanding that the needs of the organization are evolving and that a leadership transition is the best way to move forward."

Jeremy Zoll, previously Falvey's lieutenant and the general manager, will take over his duties running baseball operations, while Tom Pohlad will become the point person for business operations, which Falvey had taken under his purview in 2024. 

Falvey is not leaving for another job, or at least that has not been announced. The Twins released a statement saying the two sides "mutually agree to part ways."

"On a personal level, I’m looking forward to taking some time to be with my family, reflect and consider what comes next," Falvey wrote in the press release. "I don’t have specific plans yet, but I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had here and excited about the next chapter when the time is right."

Zoll will not get an immediate title bump, but he becomes the new head of baseball operations, which Pohlad said would remain true. Dave St. Peter, who served in that role since 2002, stepped down last March, but has remained with the team as an adviser. It's hard to predict how soon the team will find a suitable candidate for a vacancy that comes at the most unusual point in the baseball calendar.

That timing is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the news. It is unusual for any organization to have a leadership vacuum without a transition plan at this critical time of year. For instance, when Dave St. Peter left the Twins, the announcement was made in November 2024, but the move didn't take effect until Opening Day. 

Tom Pohlad has been leading the organization for just over a month. On the baseball side, the offseason moves are not yet complete. On the business side, the season is ramping up. And while the Twins' press release says that there have been going on for the past several weeks, this change is sudden and seemingly unforeseen.

The team is holding a press conference today at 11:15, with Pohlad and Falvey answering questions, though at separate times. 

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story indicated the team would begin an immediate search for a new president of baseball operations. During his press conference, a reporter asked Pohlad about that search, and Pohlad corrected the record: Zoll will be in charge of baseball ops. The team is not pursuing a replacemeny for Falvey outside the organization at this time.