“We will be competitive in 2026,” said Tom Pohlad on Friday, reiterating an assertion he’s made multiple times since taking over as controlling owner of the Minnesota Twins in December. It’s a proclamation that defies reality, and certainly hasn’t been backed by any significant action on the roster-building front. 

Coming off a 92-loss season, mired in question marks, and lacking much in the way of relief pitching, the Twins face a steep uphill climb to fulfill Pohlad’s ambition. That point of friction seems to be what resulted in Derek Falvey stepping aside. While this split has been positioned by the team as “mutual,” Falvey could surely see the writing on the wall and was ready to move on. 

Opinions will vary on the effectiveness of his tenure, but no one can deny Falvey has been stifled and railroaded repeatedly in trying to do his job over the past couple years. Minnesota’s 2023 success was immediately followed by a momentum-shattering payroll slash, with sharper spending limits imposed since. 

 

The about-face in strategic direction this winter had to be the final straw from Falvey’s point of view. The Twins’ approach at the deadline clearly signaled intentions for a rebuild, or at the very least a temporary reset. Shipping out 10 players set the stage for a presumed follow-through in the offseason that would see the Twins trade Pablo Lopez and/or Joe Ryan (who was by all accounts very nearly dealt in July) for peak remaining value. 

This was a tough pill to swallow for Twins fans, but in the aftermath of what Minnesota did at the deadline, it was the only viable option. That is, until ownership threw a curveball and Tom took over from Joe as executive chair. With him, the new figurehead brought a contradictory mandate: compete now. No kicking the can down the road.

 

As a fan, I can appreciate what Pohlad is trying to do. He sees that interest in the team is spiraling, he knows the difficult road ahead for Major League Baseball, and he wants to temper the crash in fan morale by demonstrating some level of care and investment. Thus, we have the “we’re going to compete” campaign, and the green light for modest acquisitions like Josh Bell and Victor Caratini. (Not to mention calling up canceled season ticket-holders personally.)

But here’s the thing: it’s too late. The die was cast for the 2026 season at the deadline when the front office traded three top relievers under team control, as well as Carlos Correa with no expectation of backfilling his salary. If the Twins were going to have a shot at rebounding from those losses, it was going to take higher-scale moves than Bell, Caratini and an army of waiver claims or scrap-heap signings. The Twins are projected in Vegas for 72-74 wins, which seems a very fair expectation objectively.

 

Derek Falvey knew it, helping explain his decision to jump ship. He was in line to be a scapegoat this summer, following in the footsteps of Rocco Baldelli, and he got out ahead of it. As for the motivations of Tom Pohlad and the Twins? Those are harder to reason, both in this instance and at a broader level. Parting ways with Falvey at this peculiar moment feels more like a denial of reality than an inspired shakeup.

“We’re in the business of winning baseball games,” Pohlad said back in December when he took over the reins. But therein lies the problem: business savvy doesn’t win baseball games. It takes visionary baseball leadership and sound big-picture decision-making. The departure of Falvey leaves a huge experiential void in that department, while the Twins navigate aimlessly into a season that is bound to disappoint.