The Vikings aren’t the only Minnesota team to shake things up at an odd time Friday.
The Twins and president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey “mutually” split roughly two weeks before spring training, the team announced.
The Vikings also axed general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, with his dismissal coming on the opposite end of the spectrum since the team’s offseason just started.
“Following a series of thoughtful conversations with (executive chair) Tom (Pohlad) that began after the ownership transition and progressed over the past few weeks, we both agreed it was the right time for us to party ways,” Falvey said in a statement. “Ownership transitions naturally create moments for reflection and honest dialogue about leadership, vision, and how an organization wants to move forward.
“Over the past several weeks we had those conversations open and constructively and ultimately reached a shared understanding that this was the right step both for the organization and for me personally.”
Splitting with your top baseball and business executive with spring training right around the corner is a rather odd move, even if its labeled as a mutual decision.
The Athletic noted that Falvey served as the lead speaker at the team’s media luncheon one week ago, indicating the sudden nature of this move.
It seem that Pohlad being named the controlling owner in December 2025 factored into this decision, with ESPN reporting at the time that never worked in baseball before.
There could be different visions for the team at play, and the Twins are now without an executive who helped build a competitive roster over the past decade.
The Twins made Falvey their Chief Baseball Officer in October 2016 and promoted him to president of baseball operations in 2019.
He earned another bump to president of baseball and business operations this past March.
Falvey’s tenure included four postseason berths and three AL Central titles, the latest coming in 2023.
The Twins announced general manager Jeremy Zoll will continue “leading” the baseball department and Pohlad will have “interim” duties overseeing business duties.
Pohlad said the team will immediately conduct a search for a new president of baseball operations.
“We reached a shared understanding that the needs of the organizations are evolving and that a leadership transition is the best way to move forward,” Pohlad said in a statement.
Falvey said in his statement he doesn’t have any immediate plans, but will enjoy being with his family while he considers his next step.
The Twins are coming off a disappointing 70-92 season that landed them in fourth place in the AL Central, but have done little to improve this offseason.
They hired ex-Pirates manager Derek Shelton to be their next skipper.