The Twins may have some competition when it comes to finding their new manager, with seven other major league teams navigating a search of their own. But as the process to replace Rocco Baldelli, the Twins are casting a wide net.

“Once you start defining the exact traits you need, then you actually start thinning the pool,” president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey said Tuesday. “I think we start 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.”

There’s everyone from 66-year-old Terry Francona, who first became a major league manager in 1997, guiding the Cincinnati Reds, to Stephen Vogt, who concluded his major league playing career in 2022 and got hired in 2024 to lead the Cleveland Guardians. There are managers who played in the majors, and some who have not. Some coached in the minors, others did not. Some went the front-office route before becoming managers.

Baldelli, who was the youngest manager in the majors at the time of his hiring, was a former player who then worked in the front office and on the Tampa Bay Rays’ major league coaching staff.

“I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all to this, and I don’t think there is one size that fits the Twins, either,” Falvey said. “I think we have to be very open-minded to that. The most important thing, I think, always is that you want a good partner who cares about not just maybe that day, but does want to invest in the whole organization.”

Falvey did not give any indication of a timeline, but Baldelli was introduced on Oct. 25, 2018.

If the Twins want to hire someone whose team is in the postseason, that could slow things down. The fact that they are competing with seven different teams — the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers — could also play a role.

“You don’t want to rush to make the decision,” Falvey said. “You want to choose the right person. You want to find the right partner for the whole organization, and that will take some time.”

Last time around, Baldelli beat out a pool of candidates that included Brandon Hyde and Derek Shelton. Both eventually got managerial jobs and were dismissed this year (from the Orioles and Pirates, respectively) and are on the market, again. So, too, are veteran managers Bruce Bochy and Bob Melvin.

Former Twin Trevor Plouffe threw his support behind Torii Hunter and Justin Morneau, neither of whom have managerial experience, in a post on social media. Morneau has been working as a special assistant in baseball operations for the Twins, as well as a television analyst. Hunter is a special assistant in the Angels’ front office.

Rangers senior advisor Skip Schumaker, who managed in Miami, and Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz are among the names getting managerial buzz this cycle. The Twins could also consider internal options with catching/assistant bench coach Hank Conger among them.

“We’re wide open to all different types of candidates,” Falvey said. “I think that we need to find someone that we have a collective mutual respect with an alignment. Doesn’t mean we have to have to be the same style. In fact, we want to be open-minded to every different type of style and that’s important, but leadership comes in all different forms.”

Originally Published: October 1, 2025 at 12:27 PM CDT