The timing of the Minnesota Twins leaking that the 2026 option in manager Rocco Baldelli's contract has been exercised could have been better. After the Twins went 18-8 in May, they have fallen off the face of the earth in June. After losing to the Seattle Mariners on Monday, 11-2, the Twins are currently in the middle of a four-game losing streak and have only won once in their last 10 games.
The circumstances would suggest that Baldelli would be the next MLB manager on the hot seat, especially when you consider the collapse the Twins had at the end of the 2024 season. Instead, Baldelli was given a vote of confidence by the team's front office. The vote of confidence comes at a time when that very feeling may be dwindling within the Twins' clubhouse.
During an in-game report on Monday night, Audra Martin highlighted comments from first baseman Ty France, suggesting that there was a brewing issue with the team morale.
Very interesting report here by @Audra_Martin. Ty France says the Twins are struggling with dugout moral and Carlos Correa thinks they could do a better job with their preparation.......... 👀 pic.twitter.com/Y49dUAjlaw
— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) June 24, 2025
Twins already paying the price for Rocco Baldelli's latest contract decision
The concerns, as expressed by France, address an issue that is larger than the play on the field. Of course, injuries have not been on the team's side, losing the likes of Pablo Lopez, Zebby Matthewss, and Royce Lewis in recent weeks, but it seems that the Twins, within the clubhouse, are defeated. When the sense of defeat creeps in, there is very little that a team can do on the field to turn the tide. In other words, under any other circumstance, now would be the time to potentially fire your manager and see if that bucks the trends. Instead, the Twins have doubled down on the disappointment that has surrounded Baldelli's tenure over the past year.
Carlos Correa's leadership notwithstanding, it's hard to envision a scenario where the Twins get their season back on track. Which speaks to the curious timing of the Twins leaking that Baldelli is expected to be back for the 2026 season. Add in the pending ownership change, and it's clear that the Twins' front office is operating with very little direction at the moment. Assuming there is a new ownership group in place within the next year, it would seem likely that they are going to clean house anyway.