If the Twins miss the playoffs this season, significant organizational changes are anticipated. One of the adjustments might be the removal of manager Rocco Baldelli. If Baldelli gets fired, would former Twins slugger Nelson Cruz make sense as his successor?
The past three and a half months of Twins fandom have felt like opening a cursed Matryoshka doll. The first and biggest doll is an ineffective offence. The next doll is a tenacious front office that refuses to part ways with players. The third doll represents star players being hurt or underperforming. So forth, so forth.
This Twins club has had a yin-yang feel about it all season. They will appear good against teams like the Royals and Athletics, but then absolutely collapse and get swept by clubs like the Braves or Orioles.
Olivia Rodrigo, a pop icon, said, “It’s always one step forward and three steps back.”
Consistently beating bad teams is a good thing, and it may be enough to win this year’s AL Central crown, as the Twins have the easiest remaining strength of schedule for any team in baseball, but this team is something other than a real contender.
Excuses and reasons have been and will continue to be made, but action must be taken by those in control. And if the Twins miss the playoffs, that action must be drastic. Passivity will no longer suffice.
Wes Anderson, the great auteur, famously wrote, “You can’t wake up if you don’t fall asleep.”
In my interpretation, this quote means that we, as people, cannot genuinely move on or accept something that has happened to us until we go through a genuine period of emotional mourning and acceptance.
When applied to the 2023 Twins, Anderson’s quote can be interpreted as if the Twins miss the playoffs this year, and they would need to sleep or reset if they ever want to wake up as an organization.
This idea has been nearly impossible for the Pohlad family to accept in years past, but with new executive chair Joe Pohlad at the helm, this upcoming off-season may be different.
To genuinely pursue a sense of awakening, or progression, the first step Joe Pohlad would have to make is relieving President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey, Manager Rocco Baldelli, and the Twins coaching staff of their duties.
At the moment, that feels like an unlikelihood, but in a recent interview with Star Tribune’s Jim Souhan, Pohlad expressed a sense of urgency that has opened eyes amongst those who follow the Twins closely.
If the Twins fail to win the lowly American League Central and miss the playoffs for the third season, would Pohlad fire Falvey? It feels unlikely, as Pohlad and Falvey appear to have incredible respect and an overall relationship with one another. Even so, the Twins would be forced to make organizational shake-ups, and the most logical shake-up would be to fire Baldelli.
The firing of Baldelli would be a surprise that would feel like a scapegoating tactic, but change, even if symbolic, is better than blatant stagnation. If Baldelli got fired, who would be the best option to replace him?
A fascinating option is former Twins slugger Nelson Cruz.
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