Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Twins are going through one of the more difficult starts to an offseason in recent franchise history. After the Pohlad ownership group made team president Derek Falvey sell off a third of the active MLB roster last trade deadline, there’s been an eerie silence regarding the financial future of the organization.
Of course, we all wonder what the long-term future looks like, and whether it will include the Pohlads at all (hopefully not). But for now, there’s no time to worry about that because MN Twins fans are stuck concerning themselves with the more immediate future.
As of this morning, we still have no idea what the 2026 player budget will look like. And we found out earlier this week thanks to Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic) week that Falvey doesn’t know either, because the Pohlads haven’t told him, as they await approval of two new minority ownership groups they hope to bring on ASAP.
While the roster is frozen in time, however, the Twins have been shuffling around their managerial staff like a worn out deck of cards. There will be a ton of new faces in Minnesota’s dugout next season, but the headliner is at manager where former bench coach Derek Shelton has replaced his former boss (and good friend), Rocco Baldelli.
Royce Lewis 100% in on MN Twins new manager
Credit: Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins on X (@Twins)
But if there’s one guy who’s already buying whatever Shelton is selling as this team’s new manager in bulk, it’s former No. 1 overall pick Royce Lewis. Dan Hayes (The Athletic) is reporting Saturday that Lewis met for dinner (BBQ) this week with his new skipper.
How did it go? Well, the only way to describe Royce’s feelings for Shelton after their first meeting is “head over heels”. And that might be understating it because the 26-year-old oft-injured third baseman is talking like a giddy teenager who thinks he just met “the one”.
“We started off building a really good relationship. [Shelton] told me I was important to him and our organization. I told him at points last year I didn’t feel like that. It was really important to me to feel that kind of confidence. I told him that part of me is a little bit of a wide receiver mentality, to where I need to be talked to and just told what’s going on, what the plan is for myself, for the organization, and to be involved just a little bit.”
Royce Lewis (via The Athletic)
There’s really no questioning the type of hire Shelton is. He’s a comfort hire. Falvey’s friendship with Derek was undoubtedly a huge factor in his hiring. Nonetheless, it became clear the moment he cracked the mic during his opening press conference that Derek Shelton is NOT Rocco Baldelli.
The Minnesota Twins’ new manager is loud, has a deep voice and the type of personality that commands a room — none of which were qualities used to describe his predecessor. Only time will tell whether or not any of that will lead to success, and the odds are certainly stacked against that happening.
Minnesota is home for the Shelton family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/y77bdTD9Gp
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) November 7, 2025
Royce Lewis pumped for fresh start with Derek Shelton
If you’ll remember, a frustrated Royce Lewis has been quoted multiple times over the past couple seasons voicing issues with a variety of things that rubbed him the wrong way playing for the Minnesota Twins.
With Hayes, and in his conversation with Shelton, Lewis went as far as to compare himself to an NFL wide receiver — a position group notoriously known for diva behavior, though he didn’t describe the analogy that way.
Instead, Royce Lewis equated his clubhouse temperament to someone who needs to be communicated with on a regular basis. He wants to feel wanted, needed even. Beyond that, the California kid wants a window into what those in charge are thinking.
“It just feels like there’s something new about the culture [Shelton]’s trying to build. I just look forward to some of his ideas he had for us. Whether it’s implementing them in spring or in season, I loved the mentality he had — the ‘It’s going to take every man’ approach. It was unbelievable.”
Royce Lewis (via The Athletic)
Royce Lewis started his big league career like a rocket, immediately inserting himself as one of the team’s best and most clutch hitters when he debuted in 2022, slashing .300/.317/.550 in his first twelve games, until he tore his ACL colliding with the centerfield wall.
But in the past couple seasons, he’s fallen off a cliff. In 106 games last season, Lewis hit .237 with a .671 OPS and 83 OPS+. So whatever communication or coddling Derek Shelton has to deploy in order to bring the old Royce Lewis back, I’m all for it.
Mentioned in this article: Derek Shelton Royce Lewis
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