Posted December 27, 2025
After a disappointing 70-92 season that landed them in fourth place in the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins parted ways with manager Rocco Baldelli on Sept. 29, 2025. This offseason, the Twins will search for a new skipper to lead the club.
According to Dan Hayes of the Athletic, the team has narrowed its list of managerial candidates to four: former Twins assistants Derek Shelton and James Rowson, along with Scott Servais and Ryan Flaherty. Shelton and Rowson are considered the favorites for the job.
Rowson served as the Twins’ hitting coach during the 2019 season, when the team set a major league record with 307 home runs. That kind of offensive success is something Minnesota hopes to recapture after a 2025 campaign in which the team batted .238 with 191 home runs, according to Baseball Reference.
Shelton, another former Twins assistant, managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for more than five seasons. He was also a finalist for Minnesota’s managerial opening in 2018 before Baldelli was hired, according to Brittany Ghiroli of the Athletic.
Flaherty, 39, is the youngest of the four candidates and the only one to have played in the majors in the past decade. The former infielder appeared in eight seasons before retiring in 2019, per Baseball Reference. According to Jackson Kruse of Puckett’s Pond, Flaherty is among the most sought-after candidates in this offseason’s managerial market and has also been linked to openings with the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles.
Servais, a former major league catcher, brings the most managerial experience of the group. He managed the Seattle Mariners from 2016 to 2022, posting a .514 winning percentage and leading the team to one playoff appearance before being dismissed.
The Twins are expected to make their managerial decision in the coming weeks as they look to rebound from a disappointing 2025 season and return to playoff contention.
The article may be found online at https://uwrfjournalism.org/2025/12/twins-narrow-managerial-search-to-four-candidates-after-baldellis-exit/.