Twins’ managerial search begins: Who could replace Rocco Baldelli?

After the Twins fired Rocco Baldelli 24 hours after the 2025 season came to an end with 70 wins and 92 losses, Minnesota's search for a new manager is underway. Who could they hire?

Baldelli and Bob Melvin, who was fired by the Giants, might not be the only 2025 managers in the job market. Ken Rosenthal reported Sept. 25 that Baldelli and Melvin were among managers whose seats might be a bit hot, with the others being:

• Warren Schaeffer, Colorado Rockies
• Ron Washington/Ray Montgomery, Los Angeles Angels
• Tony Mansolino, Baltimore Orioles
• Brian Snitker, Atlanta Braves
• Don Kelly, Pittsburgh Pirates
• Bruce Bochy, Texas Rangers
• Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets
• A.J. Hinch, Detroit Tigers

Kelly and Mendoza will reportedly be back with their teams in 2026, but the fate of the others on the list remains unknown.

The idea that Minnesota would scoop up a guy who gets fired the same season as Baldelli seems like a stretch unless it's something big like the Tigers canning Hinch or the Braves moving on from Snitker.

Bochy is a four-time World Series champ and would be amazing, but what are the odds he'd want to try and win in Minnesota with owners who have made it abundantly clear that their aim is to develop talent over spending to win?

Here are some potential names to watch for the Twins' vacancy.

Former managers who could manage again?

• Skip Schumaker
• Brad Ausmus
• David Ross
• Manny Acta
• Don Mattingly

Schumaker is currently in the Rangers front office and might be the manager in waiting once Bochy is gone. He's only 45 years old and was the 2023 NL Manager of the Year as a rookie skipper with the Marlins. He left the Marlins in 2024 for a family emergency, so his track record is good and he's never been fired.

Ausmus is the bench coach with the Yankees. Would he leave for another shot to manage? He managed the Tigers from 2014-2017 and the Angels in 2019, going a combined 314-332 with one postseason appearance.

Ross went 262-284 in four seasons managing the Cubs from 2020 to 2023, reaching the postseason only once. Ross, who was also on Dancing With The Stars, is set to be Team USA's bullpen coach during the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Acta managed the Nationals from 2007 to 2009 and the Guardians from 2010 to 2013, going a combined 372-518. His teams never won more than 80 games and he didn't take the Nationals or the Guardians to the playoffs. He's currently the bench coach for the AL West champion Seattle Mariners.

Mattingly managed every season from 2011 through 2022 for the Dodgers and Marlins, respectively. His teams went 889-950 and made the playoffs four times — three times with the Dodgers and once with the Marlins. His teams went 10-14 overall in the postseason, going as far as the NLCS one time.

Bench coaches ready to make the jump?

• Craig Albernaz, Cleveland Guardians
• George Lombard, Detroit Tigers
• Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee Brewers
• Danny Lehmann, Los Angeles Dodgers

Who is the next big name in baseball? One of these four could find themselves managing a big-league team in 2026 — and Lehmann is an interesting name because he's the bench coach for the Dodgers and he is a former Twins draft pick.

Lehmann, 40, was selected in the eighth round of the 2007 draft after starring at Rice University. He stayed in the Twins' minor league system until 2013 and then got into scouting in 2015 with the Dodgers. He was L.A.'s game planning and communication coach in 2018, and again from 2020 to 2022, with a pivot between as a special assistanti n 2019. He was promoted to bench coach in 2023.

However, Lehmann has never been a manager. Does he need to manage at a lower level before getting an MLB job?

Albernaz has managed in the minors, winning the 2018 Midwest League Manager of the Year award at High-A with the Tampa Bay Rays. He was then hired as the bullpen and catching coach for the Giants from 2020 to 2023 before joining the Guardians as bench coach in 2024. This season, he's employed as Cleveland's associate manager.

Lombard had roles as an assistant coach in the minors for the Red Sox and Braves in the 2010s before joining the Dodgers as first base coach in 2016. He stayed in that role through the 2020 season, going to three World Series and winning one. He's been the bench coach for the Tigers since 2021.

Weeks was a solid player from 2003 to 2017, earning one All-Star selection along the way. He didn't start coaching until 2022, when he joined the Brewers as an assistant to the player development staff. He was promoted to associate manager ahead of the 2024 season. Like Lehmann, the Twins might not be interested if they're requiring previous managerial experience to qualify for the job.

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