According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, among many others, the Twins will announce Derek Shelton as their manager for the 2026 season. The team is likely waiting until the conclusion of the World Series
to make the move official, as MLB asks teams to withhold substantial news until after the Fall Classic.
Shelton has a history with the organization, serving as the Twins’ bench coach in 2018 under Paul Molitor and 2019 under his predecessor Rocco Baldelli. Shelton was selected from a group of finalists including former Twin and current Yankee hitting coach James Rowson, former Minnesota infielder Nick Punto, and ex-Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais.
Shelton was the manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020 until he was fired 6 weeks into the 2025 season after another dreadful start. While that may seem discouraging for Twins fans, most of a manager’s work goes on behind the scenes and the Pirates’ ownership situation makes the Pohlads look like a godsend in comparison. His familiarity with the Twins franchise and processes likely gave him an advantage on the competition.
Additionally, while Shelton is a “retread” for an organization seemingly in need of a fresh voice, it’s worth noting that only a single current Twin (Byron Buxton) was coached by Shelton in his previous stint. He has a positive reputation around the league and was a candidate for top bench coach positions if the Twins had gone in a different direction.
The last remaining organizational block to fall is the staff around Shelton. Assistant coach contracts are typically not made public, so it’s unclear who among the 2025 staff remains under contract for next season and who Shelton, Derek Falvey, and the Twins will want to retain. Pete Maki has done an admiral job since being thrust into the pitching coach role after Wes Johnson’s shocking departure in the middle of the 2023 season. Additionally, Hank Conger is a rising name in coaching circles and is likely on the inside track for a head job of his own in the near future. Base coaches Tommy Watkins and Ramon Borrego have both been with the Twins for over 20 years between their playing and coaching careers, and are likely to remain with the organization in some capacity.
