The Minnesota Twins are once again at a crossroads. Following a 92-loss season and another October spent watching from home, the organization announced that Rocco Baldelli would not return as manager in 2026. It marked the team’s fourth playoff miss in the past five seasons and a sobering reminder that the momentum from their 2023 postseason breakthrough quickly evaporated (even if it was tied to ownership cutting payroll).
Not all of the team’s shortcomings can be directly attributed to Baldelli. The roster struggled with inconsistency on both sides of the ball, and injuries once again depleted the core’s depth. Still, after back-to-back disappointing seasons, it was clear someone had to take the fall for a club that underperformed relative to expectations.
President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey acknowledged the problematic nature of the decision but emphasized that the change was part of a broader evaluation of the organization.
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“It’s incumbent upon me as the head of this to talk with ownership about what the right direction is going forward,” Falvey said. “And we had those discussions privately about what that means and where we are and what we’ve learned, not just about one month of baseball but about over the course of a longer period of time. And ultimately, in those discussions, we collectively arrived at this being the right time for a new voice and a new direction. It’s not about Rocco. I said this yesterday. This isn’t about a failure of Rocco for this season. This is a collective underperformance from our group.”
Now, the attention turns toward the next voice to lead the dugout. Minnesota’s search is expected to cast a wide net, with both internal candidates and external names being considered. Among the early possibilities is a familiar face behind the plate.
According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, former Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki is reportedly in the running for the Twins’ managerial vacancy. Suzuki, 42, currently serves as a special advisor in the Los Angeles Angels’ front office and is also believed to be under consideration for the San Francisco Giants’ open job. The Angels themselves are searching for a new manager, making Suzuki’s name one of the most talked-about in early offseason circles.
Suzuki has yet to manage or coach at the professional level, but his baseball résumé commands respect. During his 16-year Major League career, he played for the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Angels, and Twins, where he earned his lone All-Star selection in 2014. That season, Suzuki slashed .288/.345/.383 (.727) with 34 doubles and a 105 OPS+, providing leadership and stability for a young Twins pitching staff.
After retiring following the 2022 campaign, Suzuki transitioned immediately into a front office role with the Angels, While Suzuki lacks on-field coaching experience, his long tenure as a catcher could make him an appealing candidate in today’s game. Catchers are often viewed as natural leaders, tasked with managing pitching staffs, reading opposing hitters, and maintaining clubhouse communication. Suzuki’s reputation as a respected, steady presence during his playing days fits the mold of several recent managerial hires across the league.
It’s worth noting that Stephen Vogt, last year’s American League Manager of the Year, made a similarly rapid transition. Vogt retired in 2022, spent a single season as a coach with the Seattle Mariners, and then took over the Cleveland Guardians’ job, leading them to back-to-back postseason appearances. For a Twins front office that values communication and collaboration, Suzuki could represent an intriguing blend of player perspective and modern analytical understanding.
What exactly are the Twins looking for in their next manager? Falvey cautioned against narrowing the search too tightly.
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“Once you start defining the exact traits you need, then you actually start thinning the pool,” Falvey said. “You start from a place of saying, ‘Well, that person doesn’t fit what I’m looking for.’ I think instead, we start with a more blank sheet of paper because if you look around baseball, and you look at the postseason right now, there are all kinds of different managers marching around the postseason right now.”
Still, the organization’s direction will undoubtedly play a role in determining the right fit. With payroll questions lingering and an uncertain competitive window, candidates will want to know whether they’re inheriting a team poised to contend or one headed for a transition phase.
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“They’re definitely going to want to know,” Falvey added. “The type of manager we’re going to hire is going to be able to blend all of the things that will come with any type of team you have. That’s what you want, right? You want a manager that, no matter what the 26 or the 30 or the 40 players you use over the course of a season, that their view is we’re going to make this team the best it can be. You’re going to approach it with, you need to develop at this level.”
In that sense, Suzuki might check more boxes than his résumé initially suggests. He is a bridge between eras, a veteran of both the “old school” clubhouse and the modern analytics-driven environment. He is connected across multiple organizations, respected by players, and familiar to Twins fans who remember his calm presence during some transitional years in the mid-2010s.
The Twins are looking for a new voice, and while Suzuki’s may not be the loudest, it could be precisely the kind of leadership tone Minnesota needs right now.
Should the Twins try to hire Suzuki before another team makes their move? Leave a comment and start the discussion.