Minnesota Twins shockingly parting ways with president Derek Falvey
The Twins announced on Friday that they've agreed to mutually part ways with team president Derek Falvey. General manager Jeremy Zoll takes over as the leader of the baseball operations department, while executive chair Tom Pohlad will temporarily take over the business side.
Minnesota Twins and Derek Falvey Mutually Agree to Part Ways pic.twitter.com/ILxMXy1AZl
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) January 30, 2026
This news comes as a complete shock, as Falvey has made numerous moves this offseason, was at TwinsFest last weekend and spring training is less than a month away.
Making a change of this magnitude two weeks before the start of spring training is legitimately shocking and certainly wouldn't have been planned by the Twins.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) January 30, 2026
Also of note: Just one week ago the Twins held their annual media luncheon, at which Derek Falvey was the lead speaker.
Falvey has been in charge of the Twins' baseball operations department since 2017 and was promoted to lead business operations as well last year, replacing long-time team president Dave St. Peter. Upon joining the Twins, Falvey hired Thad Levine as the general manager. Levine stepped down last offseason, clearing the way for Zoll to become the general manager.
The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman reported that Pohlad said he "will immediately begin a search for a president of business operations who, along with GM Jeremy Zoll, will report to me." Gleeman also said that Falvey doesn't have 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 made it past the American League Division Series during his tenure. Twins fans were optimistic about the future of their favorite team following the 2023 season, as the team won its first playoff series in 21 years.
However, rather than adding big names to an exciting group after the 2023 season, the Twins slashed payroll by $30 million. Largely due to that decision, Minnesota missed the postseason in 2024 despite holding a 90% chance to make the playoffs in mid-August, per FanGraphs.
Then, the Pohlad family announced they were seeking to sell the team in October 2024. It appeared Justin Ishbia was going to buy the club last offseason before he stopped his pursuit to enter a long-term agreement with the Chicago White Sox, which was disappointing for Twins fans, but they at least had hopes that a sale of the team would occur soon.
However, the Pohlads ended up not selling the team, likely due to the team's roughly $500 million debt. Instead, they added three minority investor groups: Glick Family Investments, George G. Hicks and Minnesota Wild majority owner Craig Leipold. Additionally, Tom Pohlad succeeded his younger brother Joe as the team's control person.
Not to mention, the Twins traded 10 big leaguers, including Carlos Correa, at the 2025 trade deadline under Falvey's leadership. If the Twins had spent more, maybe they wouldn't have felt the need to trade nearly 40% of their roster to shed payroll and bolster their farm system.
Since taking over, Tom Pohlad has acknowledged the mistakes the Twins have made since 2023. He likely wanted to part ways with Falvey to show fans that change is on the horizon for the club. However, most of the team's issues have been 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.