Twins bid farewell to Derek Falvey in stunning fashion, weeks before the start of the 2026 season

Minnesota Twins shockingly say goodbye to president Derek Falvey

The Twins announced this on Friday they have mutually agreed to part ways with team president Derek Falvey. General manager Jeremy Zoll will take over the baseball operations, while executive chairman Tom Pohlad will temporarily take over the business side.

This news comes as a complete shock as Falvey has made numerous moves this season, was at TwinsFest last weekend and spring training is less than a month away.

Falvey has led the Twins’ baseball operations since 2017 and was promoted to head of business operations last year, replacing former team president Dave St. Peter. When he joined the Twins, Falvey hired Thad Levine as general manager. Levine resigned last offseason, clearing the way for Zoll to become general manager.

Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic reported Pohlad said he “will immediately begin a search for a president of operations who, along with general manager Jeremy Zoll, will report to me.” Gleeman also said Falvey has no specific plans on what he will do next work-wise.

Falvey led the Twins to four postseason appearances (2017, 2019, 2020, 2023), but Minnesota never advanced past the American League Division Series during his tenure. Twins fans were optimistic about their favorite team’s future beyond the 2023 season as the team won its first playoff series in 21 years.

But instead of adding big names to an exciting group after the 2023 season, the Twins cut payroll by $30 million. Largely as a result of that decision, Minnesota missed the postseason in 2024 despite having a 90% chance of making the playoffs in mid-August, according to FanGraphs.

Than, the Pohlad family announced they wanted to sell the team in October 2024. It appeared that Justin Ishbia would purchase the club last offseason before abandoning his pursuit of a long-term deal with the Chicago White Sox, which was disappointing for Twins fans, but they at least had hope that a sale of the team would happen soon.

However, the Pohlads ultimately did not sell the team, likely due to the team’s debt of approximately $500 million. Instead, they added three minority investor groups: Glick Family Investments, George G. Hicks and Minnesota Wild majority owner Craig Leipold. In addition, Tom Pohlad succeeded his younger brother Joe as the team’s controller.

Not to mention, the Twins traded 10 major league players at the 2025 trade deadline under Falvey, including Carlos Correa. Had the Twins spent more, they might not have felt the need to trade nearly 40% of their workforce to shed the payroll and strengthen their farm system.

Since taking over, Tom Pohlad has acknowledged the mistakes the Twins have made since 2023. He probably wanted to say goodbye to Falvey to show the fans that change is on the horizon for the club. However, most of the team’s problems are due to a lack of spending. While Falvey deserves some of the blame for the organization’s recent failures, the Pohlads deserve most of it.