Twins mailbag: Replacing Rocco Baldelli, Louis Varland trade takes and 40-man spots – The Athletic
It’s been about three weeks since the Minnesota Twins’ season mercifully ended and the offseason doesn’t start for about three weeks because good teams are still playing, so it seems like the perfect window to answer some of your questions.
Let’s open the mailbag and see what’s on your minds about a 92-loss team that’s searching for a new manager after firing Rocco Baldelli.
(Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.)
How soon will the Twins hire a new manager? Will it be before the winter meetings? — Jennifer W.
Definitely before the winter meetings, which begin Dec. 7.
For some context: When the Twins fired Paul Molitor at the end of the 2018 season, they officially announced Baldelli as his replacement on Oct. 25.
It sounds like the Twins are in the midst of the interview process and have talked to numerous managerial candidates, so another late-October hiring seems possible. There are exceptions, but teams generally want a manager in place before the offseason gets underway in early November.
Also of note: MLB discourages teams from making major announcements that draw attention away from World Series games. Baldelli’s hiring in 2018 came on the off day between Game 3 and Game 4 of the World Series. This year’s World Series off days are Oct. 26 and 30.
Day 1. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/M97rQh3hmf
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) October 25, 2018
What would have been the top five reasons to keep Baldelli as manager? I can’t even think of two. — Bruce S.
It’s certainly reasonable to think it was time for the Twins to move on from Baldelli after seven seasons, but there’s no need to diminish the job he did to the point it’s depicted as a failure. Baldelli had a lot of success, especially among Twins managers.
Baldelli ranks third in Twins history with 527 wins. His career .511 winning percentage is higher than the two managers ahead of him on that list, Tom Kelly (.478) and Ron Gardenhire (.507), as well as the manager he replaced, Molitor (.471).
He managed one of two 100-win teams in franchise history (2019) and the only Twins team to win a playoff series in over two decades (2023), which shouldn’t be forgotten just because things ended poorly. Their next manager may win more than Baldelli, but assuming that is optimistic.
What is a favorite memory from working/dealing with Baldelli? — Matt B.
Baldelli was a pleasure to deal with from a writer’s perspective.
He was pleasant and engaging daily and had a far better sense of humor than he showed on camera. In fact, I wish he’d have been a bit less guarded and more willing to show what I would consider his “real” personality publicly. It could have improved how he was perceived.
He had a good understanding of why specific box-checking questions needed to be asked by the people reporting on the team, and he made an effort to answer them in useful ways. He shied away from giving juicy quotes, but was often willing to explain things in more detail off the record.
I wrote in mid-April about Baldelli’s job being in jeopardy, and he pulled me aside the next day, wanting to discuss my article. We talked privately in his office for about 15 minutes. And while I wouldn’t describe it as a fun chat, I came away from it with even more respect for Baldelli as a person.
Baldelli wanted to share his view of the situation and the challenges he was facing. He also wanted me to know he understood it was part of my job. He appreciated me being there after writing a critical story. At the end, we shook hands, and I left with more insight about the team, which is ideal.
None of that has any real bearing on the job he did as manager, or whether the Twins were justified in firing him. However, in terms of working/dealing with Baldelli, and how he treated the media members who were regulars in his office throughout a season, you’re unlikely to hear many complaints.
I think that Baldelli’s firing was certainly justified after missing the playoffs four times in five seasons. Still, I consider him a capable manager and a good person who will almost surely have no problem getting another prominent managing, coaching, or front-office job as soon as he wants it.
This might be the truest representation of Rocco Baldelli’s off-camera personality ever caught on camera. https://t.co/bBuuos42aj
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 28, 2024
Is there a subtle early offseason move — like an option decline or non-tender — to watch for that would signal whether 2026 is likely a complete rebuild? — Jacob L.
Not sure about a subtle move being an indicator of the 2026 plan.
Their toughest non-tender decision among nine arbitration-eligible players is Trevor Larnach for a projected $4.7 million, but that’s more about his lack of development than the Twins’ big-picture plan. Their lone contract option decision is Justin Topa for $2 million, which won’t reveal much either way.
It isn’t subtle, and may not play out early anyway, but whether or not the Twins trade Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers will tell the story of their 2026 (and possibly 2027) plans. Teams trying to contend don’t trade front-line starters, and their current baseline payroll is under $100 million.
Do you think the Twins will re-sign Christian Vázquez to a one-year deal as a backup catcher? What kind of money will be needed? — Andrew S.
Possibly. There’s no obvious in-house replacement for Vázquez, who caught 48 percent of the Twins’ games the past three years. Even leaning more on Jeffers next season would leave at least 50 or 60 starts to assign the backup catcher, and Mickey Gasper and Jhonny Pereda aren’t seen as answers.
It’s also possible the Twins trade Jeffers, who will be a free agent after next season. In that scenario, they would be in desperate need of catching depth, but also far less motivated to spend money on it, which could lead them on a different path back to the 35-year-old, light-hitting Vázquez.
As for Vázquez’s likely price tag as a free agent? Austin Hedges, a 33-year-old, light-hitting backup with a sterling defensive reputation, re-signed with the Cleveland Guardians for $4 million. That’s seemingly a reasonable baseline for Vázquez, who just completed a three-year, $30 million contract.
Do you expect the Twins to make additions to the bullpen, or will they use most of the same guys we saw at the end of the season? — Jordan A.
If the Twins have any notion of being a competitive team next season, they will need to bring in bullpen help. They traded their top five relievers at the deadline and, as we saw in August and September, the replacements were a motley crew of marginal prospects and veteran placeholders.
Of the 16 relievers the Twins used after the trade deadline, only Cole Sands, Kody Funderburk and Topa are logical bets to be part of their 2026 Opening Day bullpen. Others, such as Travis Adams and Pierson Ohl, might be in the mix. And they could convert some young starters to relievers, too.
However, even a semi-competent bullpen next season will require signing or trading for multiple veteran relievers capable of filling high-leverage roles. Assuming the Twins care about such things, the good news is that decent veteran relievers are typically pretty inexpensive on the free-agent market.
What needs to happen for skeptical fans to admit the Louis Varland trade was a win for the Twins organization? — Ryan E.
In general, the Twins’ trade deadline fire sale was widely criticized, locally and nationally. More specifically, trading Varland to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Alan Roden and pitching prospect Kendry Rojas left a lot of Twins fans — including Varland himself — angry and confused.
Varland is a Minnesota native, but more importantly, he’s a hard-throwing, homegrown pitcher who found immediate success in moving to the bullpen this season and is under team control through 2030. More than half of the fans surveyed by The Athletic said trading Varland was the worst deadline deal.
On the other hand, it’s natural for a particular segment of the fan base to react to the criticism of the Twins’ trade deadline, and particularly of the Varland deal, by taking the opposite viewpoint. That’s how brains tend to work, whether they disagree with the criticism or don’t like hearing it.
However, in this case, suggesting fans should “admit the Varland trade was a win for the Twins” gives away the narrative game being played. It hasn’t even been three months since a trade involving four players and 18 seasons of future team control changing hands. There are no wins or losses yet.
Old friend vs. old friend violence: Jorge Polanco hitting a three-run homer off Louis Varland in the playoffs.pic.twitter.com/Z93HATJsgt
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) October 13, 2025
Varland has mostly struggled since the trade, including two rough playoff outings, but he’s also had several good playoff games to help his new team reach the ALCS and has thrown a total of just 29 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays. I’d be shocked if Toronto was unhappy with the trade.
Meanwhile, the Twins have received zero value from their half of the trade. Roden hit .158 in 12 games for the Twins before sustaining a season-ending thumb injury. Rojas hasn’t reached the majors and allowed 25 runs in 27 1/3 innings at Triple-A St. Paul. If we’re judging tiny samples, those are brutal.
I totally understand the urge for frustrated Twins fans to see Varland have poor playoff moments for the Blue Jays and say, “See, it was a good trade!” However, to suggest it already is meaningless. Toronto controls Varland for five more years, and the Twins’ half of the deal has yet to pay any dividends.
Which of the new players acquired at the trade deadline must be added to the 40-man roster this winter? — Paul R.
Trade deadline pickups Roden, Taj Bradley, Mick Abel and James Outman are already on the 40-man roster.
Two prospects of note would need to be added if the Twins want to protect them from the Rule 5 draft: Rojas, a left-handed pitcher acquired from the Blue Jays in the Varland deal, and Hendry Mendez, a corner outfielder who came over from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Harrison Bader deal.
Do you think Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien will survive the winter with their 40-man roster spots until spring training? — Mike W.
I’d consider Miranda a long shot to keep his 40-man roster spot until spring training. He was sent down to Triple-A St. Paul in April and never returned, hitting .195 in 90 games for the Saints, sending his stock plummeting.
Julien is perhaps more of a coin-flip situation, although it seems clear he’s no longer in the Twins’ long-term plans after following up a very promising 2023 rookie showing with back-to-back disappointing seasons.
Miranda and Julien are prime examples of the Twins’ inability to develop promising young hitters into quality veteran hitters. And both players will be out of minor-league options next season, meaning they can’t be sent to the minors without first being exposed to waivers.
Who wins a World Series first: Baldelli, a currently rostered major-league Twins player or the Pohlad ownership group? — Skyler V.
I think this is an easy one. In most seasons, there’s at least one former Twins player on the World Series-winning team, so the chances of someone from the current roster winning a ring in the next few years are high.
I’ll let everyone else debate the Baldelli versus Pohlad matchup.
