The current Twins regime has had nearly a decade to show us how they prefer to operate, which types of players they value, and how they build their rosters, etc. After missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, massive changes are needed to turn things around. In hiring former bench coach Derek Shelton to replace Rocco Baldelli, it’s hard to have faith that those massive changes are coming.

 

The Minnesota Twins organization has become increasingly comfortable with the status quo in recent years, regardless of results. While spending was cut back, that doesn’t justify the lack of creativity shown during the team’s recent downturn. Despite mixed results and popularity, this team was not afraid of big moves, such as trading Luis Arraez for Pablo Lopez or shipping out then-closer Taylor Rogers the day before Opening Day. In stark contrast, we found ourselves wondering at times why the team was unwilling to shake up its bench in 2025, as multiple players went weeks without a start and position players were rostered solely to pitch mop-up innings.

This is why it was notable when Baldelli was fired despite being extended through 2026 earlier in the season. Though it’s hard to lay a majority of the blame at the manager’s feet, extended failures like the Twins have endured require a shake-up. The idea of a new manager brought hope of a new voice. While they may not fix the problems with development and player performance in this organization, perhaps a manager with a different perspective and style could be part of the solution.

Among the list of candidates made public for the Twins managerial job, Shelton stood out as the most comfortable choice they could have made. A former bench coach for the organization, Shelton is close friends with Baldelli and even received many of the same criticisms as the former Twins’ skipper during his time in Pittsburgh. Shelton has a reputation as a player’s manager who was able to mostly keep the clubhouse under control while the Pirates were uncompetitive both on the field and in the payroll department for five-plus years.

 

 

The fear is that the Twins may have tipped their hand in this hiring. Other candidates, such as Ryan Flaherty and James Rowson, come with plenty of unknowns in how they would operate as first-time managers. What’s known about Shelton is that he will likely manage very similarly to Baldelli and just showed he can soldier through a 5+ year stretch in which an organization did not attempt to spend or compete. Perhaps familiarity with the organization was the main selling point in hiring Shelton. Still, it’s at least worth wondering whether the organization’s plans for the next few years played a part in hiring someone with experience in such uninspiring circumstances.

Change was needed at the end of 2025, but transitioning from Baldelli to Shelton could make one question whether the front office actually believed change was needed, or whether that change was made just for the sake of it. This offseason was always going to be worth watching closely. Not just to observe whether the payroll teardown would continue, but to see whether the remaining leadership is willing to change how they operate and take the risks required to turn this organization around in a hurry. In their first significant move of the offseason, it’s hard not to be disappointed.

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