Twins fire GM Smith, bring back Ryan

MINNEAPOLIS The Minnesota Twins made a major change in their front office Monday: Bill Smith is out as the team's general manager. Smith, who took over as the Twins' GM at the end of the 2007 season, will be replaced on an interim basis by Terry Ryan, who has been in the organization for more than 28 years, including 13 seasons as the team's GM from 1994 to 2007. Smith was a member of the Twins organization since 1986 and took over as GM when Ryan stepped down in October 2007. Minnesota won American League Central titles in 2009 and 2010, but the Twins lost 99 games last season, their most since 1982, and finished last in the division. "It's a very difficult day for the Minnesota Twins organization," Twins president Dave St. Peter said at Monday's press conference at Target Field. "Today's announcement is a culmination of multiple internal conversations between Bill Smith, (Twins owner) Jim Pohlad and myself, dating back several months. Over that time, it became evident that there were philosophical differences in terms of the direction the club's baseball operations should be headed." St. Peter wouldn't expand on what those philosophical differences were, nor would Pohlad. They did say they've spoken with Smith about the possibility of coming back with the organization in another capacity but said Smith would take some time to weigh his options. "I don't think there's a lot of value in getting into the specifics," St. Peter said. "We have a lot of discussions about a lot of different things that impact the organization." Prior to assuming the title of general manager, Smith worked under Ryan for 13 seasons as the vice presidentassistant general manager. He also worked in the Chicago White Sox organization. "Working for the Minnesota Twins for the past 26 seasons has been the greatest professional privilege I could have ever imagined," Smith said in a statement. "I will be forever grateful to the Pohlad family for the many wonderful opportunities they have provided to me, including the chance to sit in the general manager's chair for the past four seasons." Ryan knows he's stepping into a difficult situation. The Twins had a hard time staying healthy as seven starters spent time on the disabled list, including extended stints by high-priced stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. The work will start right away for Smith, as baseball's free agency period already is underway. Minnesota has four free agents relievers Joe Nathan and Matt Capps and outfielders Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel and Ryan said he plans to start by addressing their situations. "It's safe to say that I need to talk to them and their agents pretty quickly," Ryan said. "All four of those guys are impact players in this organization." So with the tough road that lies ahead, why did Ryan agree to come back four years after his retirement? Ryan said the time off "recharged my batteries," but added he's ready for the rigors that accompany the job. He also said he's not sure just how long he might stay on as the GM. He currently has the interim tag, but it sounds as if it will be up to Ryan how long he stays. "I don't know if that'll be for one year or 10 years," Ryan said. "We're going to see how it goes and see exactly the direction and success and the workload and all the things. I would say that if I like this job, I think Jim would let me stay. If I don't, I'm going to try to set up the successor." Ryan was asked what the team's payroll would look like next season. In 2011, the Twins spent around 115 million, their highest payroll ever. Ryan expects the payroll will be closer to 100 million for the upcoming season, but he's hopeful Minnesota can have success in the free agency market despite the decline in payroll. "We're going to be looking for good players. Some are going to be realistic and some aren't," Ryan said. "Some players don't have much interest in coming here. Some will relish the fact that they can come here. This isn't exactly the year that we're coming off 94 wins and everybody's going to want to come to Minnesota. We've got some issues. Players know that." With the health concerns of Mauer and Morneau, Ryan acknowledged the Twins' need for a plan in case either player doesn't return to spring training fully healthy. Mauer missed two months with bilateral leg weakness, and Morneau missed time with multiple ailments. The Twins also had injuries to new shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Kubel, center fielder Denard Span and several pitchers. Health will be one of the team's biggest question marks this spring, and Ryan knows it. "Getting everybody healthy, wouldn't that be a tremendous thing? That would be great," he said. "Sometimes you've got to have a backup plan. What happens if they're not healthy? We've got a lot of questions."