In a season where patience has been hard to find across Major League Baseball dugouts, the Minnesota Twins are choosing stability over scapegoating.
While the Rockies, Pirates, and Orioles all recently pulled the plug on their skippers, the Twins are headed in the opposite direction. According to The Athletic, Minnesota quietly exercised manager Rocco Baldelli’s club option for the 2026 season, despite a June collapse and a losing record.
That’s not exactly the move of a front office ready to hit the panic button.
Vote of Confidence in the Middle of the Storm
At 37-41, with a 6-15 record in June, the Twins are not where they expected to be. They’ve dropped 10 of their last 11 games, sit 3.5 games back of the AL’s final Wild Card spot, and trail five other teams in the chase.
But, per R.J. Anderson from CBS Sports, Minnesota is doubling down on Baldelli rather than following the managerial churn of teams like the Orioles (who dumped Brandon Hyde weeks after a hot start) or the Pirates (who moved on from Derek Shelton).
For President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey, this isn’t about a win-loss reaction. It’s about leadership continuity.
That pragmatic mindset reflects a belief that firing Baldelli won’t fix the problems plaguing the 2025 Twins.
Injuries, Not Incompetence
It’s hard to judge a manager when the rotation is falling apart. The Twins have lost Pablo López and promising rookie Zebby Matthews to the IL, forcing them to deploy openers and patchwork arms. The result? Minnesota owns the worst rotation ERA in the majors this month (6.07).
The lineup hasn’t fared much better. Carlos Correa’s bat has gone cold—his 93 OPS+ is on track for a career-worst mark. Royce Lewis, long seen as a franchise cornerstone, has struggled to stay healthy and productive.
That’s not a clubhouse issue. That’s bad luck—and Baldelli’s not the one swinging the bat or making emergency starts.
A Different Approach Than the Rest
Across the league, front offices are showing less tolerance for underachievement. Hyde was shown the door in Baltimore despite back-to-back winning seasons. Shelton was cut loose after signs of stagnation in Pittsburgh. Even in Colorado, where losing is a tradition, the Rockies finally moved on from Bud Black.
So why are the Twins zagging while everyone else zigs?
Because they know Baldelli isn’t the problem.
He’s navigated injuries, promoted internal talent, and maintained a steady clubhouse. That matters in a market like Minnesota, where quick fixes aren’t easy. Unlike big-market teams that can flip a switch at the trade deadline, the Twins need to build something sustainable. And Baldelli is seen as a key piece in that vision—even if the on-field results aren’t there right now.
A Window That’s Still Open
The reality is that Minnesota is still in the playoff hunt. The AL Wild Card race remains fluid, and with key players expected to return in July, the Twins are betting they’ll get hot in the second half. They don’t want to spend that stretch adjusting to a new voice or throwing the clubhouse into chaos.
In today’s game, where managers are often the first to go when the standings turn sour, Baldelli’s extension is a rare show of patience. It signals to the fan base and the players that the organization is focused on solutions, not scapegoats.
The Twins aren’t pretending everything’s fine. They’re just choosing to fix their roster problems with health, not headlines.
And in a season where everyone else is firing their manager, that might be the boldest move.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Twins Make Strong Statement Amid MLB’s Managerial Shakeup appeared first on Heavy Sports.