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MLBTR Podcast: Twins Front Office Shake-Up, The Brendan Donovan Trade, Eugenio Suarez, And More!

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

  • Examining MLB’s Parity Situation – Also, Bellinger, Peralta, Robert, And Gore – listen here
  • What The Tucker And Bichette Contracts Mean For Baseball – Also, Nolan Arenado And Ranger Suarez – listen here
  • The Cubs Land Cabrera And Bregman, Remaining Free Agents, And Skubal’s Arbitration Filing – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Joe Puetz, Imagn Images

Twins Claim Jackson Kowar

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The Twins have claimed right-hander Jackson Kowar off waivers from the Mariners, according to announcements from both clubs. Seattle had designated him for assignment a week ago when they acquired catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Twins. Minnesota had an open 40-man roster spot for Kowar thanks to trading Edouard Julien to the Rockies last week.

There’s a little bit of musical chairs happening here. The Twins recently signed catcher Victor Caratini and lefty Taylor Rogers, meaning they needed to open two roster spots. They designated Pereda and righty Pierson Ohl for assignment. They traded Pereda to Seattle, which nudged Kowar into DFA limbo. The Twins then traded both Ohl and Julien to the Rockies, getting a minor leaguer and cash while dropping their 40-man count to 39. They have now used that open roster spot to claim Kowar.

The 29-year-old Kowar has big velocity, averaging in the upper 90s with his four-seamer and sinker, but hasn’t yet translated that into major league success. He has 91 big league innings under his belt, split between the Royals and Mariners, allowing 8.21 earned runs per nine. He has walked 13.1% of batters faced, somewhat normal for guys with big heat, but has only punched out 20.3% of opponents. He hasn’t had much success in Triple-A either, with a 4.92 ERA at that level.

Seattle burned Kowar’s final option in 2025, so he is now out of options. Since he hasn’t been able to put up good numbers in the majors or the minors, he got nudged off the roster. For the Twins, they had a roster spot open and they also have huge bullpen questions. As part of their deadline fire sale last year, they traded away Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart.

They are planning to return to contention in 2026 but haven’t done much to reload the relief corps. Apart from signing the 35-year-old Rogers, their biggest move has been to acquire Eric Orze, who has just 35 big league appearances.

Kowar is a wild card but the big velo is a nice starting point, even if he hasn’t harnessed it yet. He has landed with a club that should have lots of opportunities available. But given his out-of-options status and poor numbers, it’s possible the Twins try to pass him through waivers in the future. He doesn’t have a previous career outright nor three years of big league service time, so he wouldn’t have the right to reject an outright assignment.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Lee, Imagn Images

Twins, Eduardo Salazar Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Twins and right-handed reliever Eduardo Salazar are in agreement on a minor league contract, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’ll presumably be in camp as a non-roster invitee later this month.

Salazar has pitched in each of the past three major league seasons, spending time with the Reds, Dodgers and Nationals, in that order. The 27-year-old righty has pitched 70 2/3 big league innings but been tagged for a grisly 5.99 ERA in that time. Salazar sat 95.1 mph with his four-seamer and 94.4 mph with his sinker in 2025, complementing that pair of heaters with a slider that averaged 87.5 mph. He’s fanned only 16% of his opponents in the majors against a 10.2% walk rate, but the right-hander does sport an encouraging 52.8% ground-ball rate.

Salazar’s production in the upper minors hasn’t been demonstrably better. He has a 5.71 ERA in 117 Triple-A frames with comparable strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates. That said, he did post quality swinging-strike and strikeout rates during his Triple-A time with the Nationals in 2024-25, which is notable given that Washington altered his pitch selection. He’d previously been almost exclusively a sinker/slider reliever with very occasional four-seamers and changeups. The Nats significantly upped his four-seam usage, so perhaps Minnesota is intrigued by what he’d look like with further tweaks to his pitch usage and/or pitch shapes.

There’s plenty of room in the Twins’ bullpen, should Salazar enjoy a nice performance in spring training or early in the season with the Twins’ Triple-A club in St. Paul. Minnesota had one of baseball’s best bullpens heading into the 2025 trade deadline and gutted it by trading Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart as part of an 11-player fire sale. They’ve done virtually nothing to revamp the relief corps this offseason. Taylor Rogers returned on a $2MM deal for what will be his age-35 season, and the Twins picked up righty Eric Orze in a small trade with the Rays.

That pair will join holdovers Justin Topa, Cole Sands and Kody Funderburk in what looks like one of the weakest bullpens in the sport. The Twins have more young starting pitchers in the upper minors than they have rotation spots available, so perhaps some of David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Taj Bradley, Connor Prielipp and Marco Raya will end up in the bullpen rather than on the starting staff.

Regardless, the Twins represent a good opportunity for someone like Salazar as he tries to find his footing in the majors. Salazar is out of minor league options. If he’s added to the 40-man at any point, he’ll need to stick or else be exposed to waivers. If things click, he can be controlled for five seasons, but there’s a lot that needs to go right before that’s a real consideration.

Twins, Matt Bowman Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Twins brought reliever Matt Bowman back to the organization on a minor league contract, according to the MLB.com transaction log. The ZS Sports client will presumably be in camp as a non-roster invitee.

This will be Bowman’s third stint with Minnesota. He signed a minor league deal over the 2023-24 offseason and made the team by the middle of April. He made five appearances before being designated for assignment and traded to the Diamondbacks. Bowman bounced around throughout the ’24 season and circled back to Minnesota on another minor league contract in July. He triggered an opt-out six weeks later and spent the following year with the Orioles and Astros.

The 34-year-old righty made 20 big league appearances for the Orioles last season. He struggled to a 6.20 ERA with a 15.8% strikeout rate over 24 2/3 innings. Although Bowman has never missed many bats, he has traditionally gotten a lot of ground-balls. That wasn’t the case last season, as he had a career-low 35% grounder rate.

Bowman had a better season in Triple-A, where he combined for a 3.93 ERA in 31 appearances. The grounders were still down but he punched out a league average 22.7% of batters faced. Bowman has pitched parts of seven seasons at the top minor league level, turning in a 4.14 ERA in nearly 400 innings.

The Twins sold off essentially all their high-leverage arms at last year’s deadline. They signed old friend Taylor Rogers to a $2MM free agent deal and traded for Eric Orze in a minor swap with the Rays. Rogers might step back into a closer role for which he’s probably miscast at this point of his career. Cole Sands, Justin Topa and Kody Funderburk are ticketed for leverage work. On paper, it’s one of the weakest bullpens in MLB. That affords a good opportunity for non-roster invitees trying to earn a middle relief job. Dan Altavilla and Grant Hartwig have also signed minor league deals this offseason.

Latest On Derek Falvey’s Departure From Twins

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The Twins shocked the baseball world this past week when they announced that the team was parting ways with team president Derek Falvey in what was framed as a mutual decision between Falvey and executive chair Tom Pohlad. More details have come out in the aftermath of that announcement on the circumstances surrounding Falvey’s departure that offer additional insight into the motivations behind that decision.

The move was surprising to fans, media, and rival clubs around the game for a number of reasons. Falvey had been promoted from his seat as president of baseball operations to also handle business operations in a dual president role in November of 2024, just over a year prior to his departure from the organization. That Falvey went from so thoroughly entrenched in the Twins’ present and future plans to out the door in a matter of months was shocking to outside observers, and Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggests it was met with equal shock internally, with staffers describing the news as a “haymaker.” Even more shocking is the timing of the move, which comes just a matter of weeks before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training with the large majority of offseason maneuvering already done.

In comments following Falvey’s departure, both Falvey himself and Pohlad have indicated that there was a difference in personalities between the two that led to the change. Pohlad described himself and Falvey (as relayed by Hayes) as “two people that were suddenly thrust into working together.” Falvey’s comments offered some additional insight into those differences.

“[Former Twins executive chair] Joe [Pohlad] and I had a different plan and working dynamic,” Falvey said of his departure, as relayed by Hayes. “Tom wants to run it a little differently. … Sometimes it’s just a feel that you get where both sides kind of sit there and say, ‘OK, is this the right match for what we need going forward?’ And if you get to a place where you don’t think it (fits) perfectly, you have to have really honest conversations and dialogue about it and we did.”

Given those comments about conflicting personalities and changing plans, it’s worth zooming out to consider the larger context of the Twins organization in recent years. After breaking the club’s lengthy drought of playoff victories in 2023, ownership slashed payroll during the 2023-24 offseason. Things have gone downhill since then on the field, and after a collapse in 2024 led to an 82-80 season and missing the playoffs, the team took an even bigger step back and lost 90 games in 2025.

Entering this offseason, all signs appeared to be pointing towards a rebuild coming to Minnesota. Players like Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, and even Byron Buxton were widely viewed as trade chips who would be available to rival teams this winter, and a tear-down of the roster had already gotten underway at the trade deadline back in July. In addition to the move to shed Carlos Correa’s contract in a salary dump with the Astros, the Twins traded away a number of pieces, including controllable impact bullpen pieces like Louis Varland, Jhoan Duran, and Griffin Jax.

In the background of those struggles on the field, the Pohlad family looked to move on from their ownership of the Twins franchise. The team announced their exploration of a sale in October of 2024, just one month before Falvey was promoted to his dual president role. Efforts to sell the family’s majority share in the club eventually fell through, however, and they instead ended up bringing on additional minority stakeholders to help address the team’s debt, which had complicated efforts to sell. After the details of that partial sale of the club were ironed out, Tom Pohlad (who had not been involved with the Twins’ operations until the effort to sell the club began) took over the executive chair position from younger brother Joe Pohlad and became the team’s control person back in December.

Given that Falvey had launched the start of what clearly seemed to be a rebuild under Joe Pohlad, much of Tom Pohlad’s rhetoric surrounding the team and it’s near-term competitive future makes a disconnect seem somewhat clear. Hayes reports that Tom Pohlad plans to be more proactive in steering the team as compared to the more laid-back approaches of former executive chairs Joe and Jim Pohlad, who Falvey had worked under in the past. Tom Pohlad’s planned direction for the team seems to be a quick return to contention, which goes against the plan Falvey had been in the midst of putting into place when Pohlad took over as Minnesota’s control person.

That planned return to contention might come with additional financial flexibility, but it’s unclear exactly how much. Pohlad has told reporters (including Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic) that he believes there is “room for investment” in the roster between now and Opening Day, which suggests there could be at least some additional spending to come to help round out a roster with a number of noticeable holes. With that said, however, Pohlad also downplayed the importance of the team’s payroll in those same comments.

“Yes, our payroll is down from last year,” Tom Pohlad said, as relayed by Gleeman. “I think there are still some investments to be made between now and Opening Day. I’d also say, at some point, I’d love to get off this payroll thing for a second. Let’s judge the success of this year on wins and losses, and on whether we’re playing meaningful baseball in September.”

Given that the team’s new control person has indicated a desire to be more hands-on than his predecessors and push the franchise in a more aggressive direction than it was previously on while also hesitating about the importance of raising payroll, it’s not hard to see where a conflict between Pohlad and Falvey could have arisen. Had Falvey been operating under a directive to return to contention in 2026, it’s easy to imagine him handling last year’s trade deadline differently, particularly when it comes to controllable, low-cost relief arms like Varland.

A departure at this point in the calendar still registers as a surprise, but Hays reports that one source described Falvey’s decision to leave now as a way to create an opportunity for the rest of his personnel to “create [their] own history” with the new control person. It’s not hard to imagine the possibility of tension down the road between Falvey and Pohlad creating a difficult situation for lower-level personnel in the front office, and Falvey removing himself from that equation immediately could help to avoid any potential issues between ownership and the front office going forward.

Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts

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In the same way that players feel extra pressure to produce entering their last season before free agency, managers and front office bosses similarly feel the heat when entering the final year of their contracts.  The difference is that even if a player has a rough season, they’re usually still in position to land at least a one-year deal in some fashion for the next year — a manager or a GM could find themselves fired in the wake of a bad year, with no guarantee about when (or even if) they’ll get another shot at leading a dugout or a front office.

This list details the baseball operations bosses (whatever their specific title) and managers who are entering the final year of their contracts, as well as the personnel whose contractual situations aren’t publicly known.  Some clubs don’t publicize the terms of employee contracts, so it is entirely possible that some of these names signed extensions months ago but the teams have chosen to keep these new deals quiet for the time being.  And, of course, the length of a contract doesn’t always correlate to job security.  One bad season or even a poor start could suddenly threaten the status of a manager or head of baseball ops that seemingly seems safe right now.

As always, thanks to Cot’s Baseball Contracts for reference information on some of these contracts.

Angels: It’s pretty unusual to see a newly-hired manager already on this list, yet that is the situation Kurt Suzuki finds himself in after signing just a one-year guarantee to become the Halos’ new skipper.  The deal has multiple club option years attached, and while one would imagine Suzuki wouldn’t be let go so quickly, the Angels’ manager’s office has been enough of a revolving door in recent years that it is hard to guess what owner Arte Moreno might do next.  GM Perry Minasian is also entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, with a club option for the 2027 season.  Ten consecutive losing seasons has led to a lot of discord in Anaheim, and an eleventh sub-.500 year might get both Suzuki and Minasian sent packing by next offseason.

Astros: GM Dana Brown and manager Joe Espada are each entering their final season under contract, with Brown hired in January 2023 and Espada in November 2023.  Earlier this month, Astros owner Jim Crane didn’t entirely close the door on the possibility of an extension for either Brown or Espada, but said “I think we’ll go through this year like we always do, evaluate it and then make the decision at the end of the year.”  Reading between the lines, it certainly seems like the spotlight will be on Brown and Espada, especially since the Astros are coming off their first non-playoff season since 2016.  While the team’s laundry list of injuries is a valid excuse for their 2025 letdown, some personnel changes might well be coming if Houston can’t get back into the postseason hunt this year.

Athletics: General manager David Forst’s contract has already expired, as his most recent deal with the team was up following the 2025 campaign.  Owner John Fisher has stated that “conversations are ongoing” about another extension, and since it has apparently been business as usual for the A’s this offseason, it seems like it’s just a matter of time before Forst formally extends his long stint in the team’s front office.  Forst only officially took over the baseball operations department in the 2022-23 offseason, but he has been with the Athletics since 2000, first working as a scout and then becoming one of Billy Beane’s top lieutenants.

Blue Jays: GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider are both entering the final year of their contracts, as the Jays exercised their 2026 club option on Schneider’s deal back in November.  This duo was facing heavy pressure heading into the 2025 season, yet Toronto’s AL pennant and near-miss in the World Series has entirely changed the narrative for both Atkins and Schneider.  The Blue Jays already extended team president/CEO Mark Shapiro a few weeks ago, and extensions for Atkins and Schneider should follow before Opening Day.

Brewers: Pat Murphy is entering the final season of his three-year contract, but it is hard to believe the Brew Crew won’t have the manager soon locked up on another deal.  Murphy has been named NL Manager of the Year in each of the first two seasons, won consecutive NL Central titles, and this October led the Brewers to their first NLCS appearance since 2018.  October also saw Matt Arnold receive a promotion from GM to president of baseball operations, even though Arnold has already been the Brewers’ top baseball exec for the last three seasons.  Arnold’s specific contract situation hasn’t been made clear for a few years now, but it would surely seem like Milwaukee’s continued success and his new job title probably landed the PBO an extension at some point.  Regardless, Arnold seems in no danger of being fired even if 2026 is his last year under contract.

Cardinals: Oli Marmol is headed into his final year, but the manger and the Cardinals have already started discussing an extension to retain Marmol beyond the 2026 campaign.  It seems like something should be finalized in due course, with St. Louis continuing to entrust Marmol with the reins as the team now moves into a full-on rebuild phase.

Diamondbacks: Torey Lovullo has quietly become one of baseball’s longer-tenured managers, as Lovullo has been running Arizona’s dugout since the 2016-17 offseason.  He has signed multiple extensions (none for more than two guaranteed years) since his initial three-year pact, yet while 2026 represents the final year of Lovullo’s current deal, the Diamondbacks are reportedly going to let Lovullo enter the season without an extension in place.  Owner Ken Kendrick did praise Lovullo’s efforts in keeping the D’Backs competitive amidst a swath of pitching injuries and a partial trade deadline selloff in 2025, but it is intriguing that the vote of confidence wasn’t backed up by another contract.  This will be a storyline to watch as the Diamondbacks’ season progresses, and a change in the dugout might well be coming if the D’Backs can’t get back into the postseason.

Dodgers: President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman first came to Los Angeles on a five-year, $35MM pact covering the 2015-19 seasons, and he signed an extension back in November 2019.  Terms of that deal weren’t known, yet it is clear that if Friedman hasn’t already signed another new deal in the last six years, the Dodgers are almost surely keen in retaining the executive.  The Dodgers have reached the playoffs in every single season of Friedman’s tenure, have won three World Series championships under his leadership, and have become baseball’s dominant franchise due to both their record-high payrolls and their ability to draft and develop minor league talent.

Guardians: Chris Antonetti gets an obligatory mention since the Guardians haven’t publicly addressed his contract status since he signed an extension with the team back in 2013.  Following the 2015 season, Antonetti was promoted to the president of baseball operations title, and his decade in charge has seen Cleveland make seven postseason appearances.  As the Guards are coming off their sixth AL Central crown of Antonetti’s tenure, there is no sense ownership is looking to make a change, nor is there any sense Antonetti (who has turned down overtures from other teams in the past) is looking to leave.

Mariners: Dan Wilson’s contract terms weren’t made public when he was hired as manager in August 2024, and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s status hasn’t been addressed since he signed a contract extension of an unknown length back in September 2021.  It may very well be that Dipoto has quietly signed another deal in the last four-plus years, but regardless, the Mariners’ success in 2025 very likely means neither Dipoto or Wilson are going anywhere, even if the M’s don’t feel the need to publicize any extensions.

Marlins: Previous Miami GM Kim Ng was signed to a three-year contract with a club option for the 2024 season, and the Marlins chose to pass on that option in order to hire Peter Bendix as the new president of baseball operations.  Terms of Bendix’s contract weren’t disclosed, so given the length of Ng’s contract, it is possible Bendix could also be entering his final guaranteed year if Miami pursued the same structure with another first-time front office boss.  While Ng’s dismissal caught many in baseball by surprise, Bendix’s job appears to be a lot safer, as the Marlins’ surprising surge to 79 wins in 2025 is a promising step forward for the team’s (latest) rebuild.

Mets: Carlos Mendoza is entering the final guaranteed year of his three-year contract, and New York holds a club option on the manager’s services for the 2027 season.  The Mets have overhauled both Mendoza’s coaching staff and a good chunk of the roster in the wake of the slow-motion collapse that left the team outside the playoff picture in 2025, so far more is expected than just an 83-79 record this year.  The club option probably means that the Mets will wait until after the season (if at all) to discuss an extension, and given the Mets’ high payroll and expectations, even a slow start might put Mendoza’s status in jeopardy.

Orioles: Mike Elias’ contract terms were never publicized when he was hired to lead Baltimore’s front office in November 2018, though he did receive a title change from general manager to president of baseball operations last offseason.  Elias’ specific contract status remains unspecified, and it is possible he could be facing more heat if the O’s have another subpar season.  Consecutive playoff appearances were followed by the thud of a 75-87 record in 2025, though ownership appears to have given Elias some support in the form of bigger budget, as the Orioles’ busy offseason has been highlighted by the blockbuster Pete Alonso signing.

Padres: Reports in early November suggested that A.J. Preller was close to signing a new extension to remain as San Diego’s PBO, though close to three months later, there hasn’t been any word of a deal between the two sides.  It could be that a contract was signed but simply not publicly announced, or perhaps Preller and the team agreed to table the negotiations until after most of the Padres’ offseason business was complete.  Considering all the reports of discord within the Padres’ ownership situation and some possible tension between Preller and team CEO Erik Greupner, a contract extension probably shouldn’t be considered a sure thing until a deal is actually done, though things still seem to be leaning in the direction of Preller getting re-upped.  For all of the off-the-field drama that has frequently defined Preller’s long tenure in San Diego, the Padres are coming off their fourth playoff appearance in the last six seasons.

Reds: As Cincinnati is coming off its first playoff berth since 2020, president of baseball operations Nick Krall looks to have a decent amount of job security, and might be in line for an extension depending on his current contract status.  Krall has been in charge of the Reds’ front office for the last five seasons, and he received an extension of an unspecified length when he was promoted to the president of baseball operations title following the 2023 campaign.

Tigers: Scott Harris has now finished three full seasons as Detroit’s PBO, so if a four-year contract might be considered the usual minimum for a first-time president of baseball ops, 2026 might be Harris’ final year under contract.  It’s all speculative, of course, since Harris’ terms weren’t made public, and it might also be a moot point since Harris could be an extension candidate, if anything.  The Tigers have made the second round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, though the team’s late-season collapse in 2025 and the uncertainty over Tarik Skubal’s future remain areas of concern.

Twins: Derek Falvey’s shocking decision to step down as Minnesota’s president of baseball (and business) operations has unexpectedly made GM Jeremy Zoll the top voice in the team’s front office.  Zoll was promoted to the GM role in November 2024 to become Falvey’s chief lieutenant, and the length of Zoll’s contract isn’t known.  It is fair to guess that Zoll might’ve gotten an extension after becoming general manager, so he probably remains under team control through at least 2027 even after this sudden elevation to the head of the baseball ops department.

White Sox: Chris Getz has been the team’s GM since August 2023, and his tenure has included a record 121-loss season in 2024 and an improvement to “only” 102 losses in 2025.  Getz’s contract term wasn’t publicized at the time of his hiring so this is just a speculative entry in case his first deal was only a three-year pact.  There doesn’t appear to be any sense that ownership is displeased with the Pale Hose’s progress during the rebuild, so if Getz actually did sign a three-year deal, the Sox might look to extend him at some point this season.

Yankees: Brian Cashman is the longest-tenured front office boss in baseball, acting as the Yankees’ GM since February 1998.  That remarkable 28-year run has included 28 winning records and four World Series titles, though the team hasn’t won the Series since 2009.  Owner Hal Steinbrenner appears to trust Cashman as much as ever, so it seems very likely that Cashman’s tenure will stretch into a third decade barring an utter disaster of a 2026 season.  Cashman’s last deal covered the 2023-26 seasons, but since the Yankees’ aversion to extensions also extends to personnel as well as players, he might not sign his next contract until after his current deal actually expires.  It’s a sign of Cashman’s job security that he has waited until December to sign each of his last two contracts to remain with the club.

Twins Announce “Mutual” Parting Of Ways With President Of Baseball Ops Derek Falvey

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In a stunning and out-of-the-blue announcement, the Twins on Friday parted ways with longtime president of baseball operations Derek Falvey. General manager Jeremy Zoll will ascend from the team’s No. 2 spot on the baseball operations hierarchy to the top position (though his title is not changing). Executive chair Tom Pohlad offered the following statement within today’s press release:

“Over the past several weeks, Derek and I had thoughtful and candid conversations about leadership, structure, and the future of the club. We reached a shared understanding that the needs of the organization are evolving and that a leadership transition is the best way to move forward. I want to thank Derek for everything he has contributed to this organization. When he joined the Twins nine years ago, it was, in many ways, a watershed moment for this franchise. His leadership was transformational. He helped modernize every aspect of our baseball operations and led with strong values, intention, and purpose. Derek created a culture grounded in learning and in the belief that organizations grow when people grow. Under his leadership, the Twins captured three division titles and made four postseason appearances. We are grateful for his dedication, his integrity, and the impact he made here.”

Falvey offered his own statement:

“Following a series of thoughtful conversations with Tom that began after the ownership transition and progressed over the past few weeks, we both agreed this was the right time for us to part ways. Ownership transitions naturally create moments for reflection and honest dialogue about leadership, vision, and how an organization wants to move forward. Over the past several weeks we had those conversations openly and constructively and ultimately reached a shared understanding that this was the right step both for the organization and for me personally. … On a personal level, I’m looking forward to taking some time to be with my family, reflect and consider what comes next.  I don’t have specific plans yet, but I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had here and excited about the next chapter when the time is right.”

Falvey was hired to lead Minnesota’s baseball operations following the 2016 season. Originally given the title of “chief baseball officer,” he hired Thad Levine — who stepped down and left the Twins last offseason — as general manager underneath him. That pairing led the Twins for the next eight years, with Falvey twice being extended and eventually being given the “president of baseball operations” moniker.

Last winter, after Levine left the club, the Twins announced that Zoll would be elevated to the GM position. Falvey stayed on as the president of baseball operations and actually took on an even larger role, picking up president of business operations Dave St. Peter’s responsibilities when St. Peter stepped down and moved into an advisory role. The dual president titles for Falvey seemed to make him entrenched with the Twins for the long haul; to see him not only cede baseball operations oversight but leave the club entirely just 15 months later is genuinely shocking.

Of course, quite a bit has changed with the Twins since Falvey’s ascension to president of baseball and business operations. St. Peter’s decision to step down came not long after the Pohlad family announced its intent to explore a sale of the team. The Twins thought they had a buyer lined up in Justin Ishbia, co-owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and a minority owner of the division-rival White Sox. Momentum toward that sale fell through, however, when the White Sox offered Ishbia a path to increase his stake in the club and eventually purchase the majority stake from current owner Jerry Reinsdorf (several years down the road).

The Twins never found a buyer for the majority share of the club, due largely to reported debt in excess of $400MM (on top of what was said to be a $1.7 billion asking price). Instead, they welcomed in a trio of minority stakeholders who purchased their shares at that $1.7 billion valuation, thereby cleaning up a significant portion (if not the entirety) of the debt. Craig Leipold, owner of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, was the most recognizable name among the new stakeholders.

The Pohlad family retained majority ownership of the team, continuing its four-decade run, but there were still changes made. Joe Pohlad, the nephew of predecessor Jim Pohlad and grandson of the late Carl Pohlad (who originally purchased the team in 1984), was removed from his position as executive chair after just three years. Tom, his older brother, assumed the executive chair role and was approved by the league as the team’s new control person. He’s now temporarily assuming Falvey’s duties as president of business operations, though this morning’s press release indicates that the Twins will immediately commence a search to bring in a new president for the business side of their operations.

The Twins have had an up-and-down run in the American League Central during Falvey’s time as their baseball operations leader. On the surface, parting with the president of baseball operations after a 92-loss season and in the midst of an ownership shakeup doesn’t sound all that surprising. And, had this move taken place immediately following the season, it presumably would not have been all that eye-opening.

However, the timing of the move makes it borderline unprecedented. Teams don’t make baseball operations shifts of this magnitude two weeks before spring training commences and when the heavy lifting of an offseason has (presumably) already taken place. As The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman notes, the Twins just held their annual media luncheon one week ago; Falvey was the keynote speaker.

Further details and comments from Twins brass will surely continue to filter out in the days, weeks and months to come. It’s not yet clear whether the change in baseball operations leadership will prompt a change of trajectory with regard to the roster. Falvey has previously been vocal about his desire to keep stars Byron Buxton, Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan, even after last July’s deadline sell-off. One would assume he and Zoll were aligned on that front, but it’s at least possible now that a different lead voice will give way to a different strategy. If nothing else, other clubs are going to circle back to check in with Zoll about the potential availability of those veterans (and, presumably, catcher Ryan Jeffers, who is entering his final season of club control).

On the other side of the coin, Minnesota’s payroll currently projects for just $108MM, per RosterResource. That’s about $30MM shy of last year’s levels and miles below the club-record payroll from 2023, when the Twins approached $160MM. Ownership isn’t going to push spending back to that level, but it’s possible that Zoll is more amenable to bringing in further veteran pieces than his former boss was.

In the immediate aftermath of the leadership shuffle, there’s no clear way to glean just what the change will mean for the Twins’ roster, but today’s announcement stands as the latest development in what has been the most tumultuous two-year stretch for the Twins organization since they were nearly contracted in the early 2000s.

Is Anyone Even Trying To Win The AL Central?

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Yet another offseason of hyperaggressive spending and mind-boggling CBT payrolls from the Dodgers and Mets (and, this winter, the Blue Jays) has led to increased talk of competitive balance ahead of the impending conclusion of the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement. Owners are again expected to push for a salary cap -- though that's a perpetual goal and would absolutely have been the case regardless of how the usual suspects spent in free agency this winter -- and they'll have plenty of fan support in that regard.

Fans, particularly those of small market teams, feel a clear sense of defeatism, knowing their clubs will rarely (or in some cases never) be players for the top names in free agency. The Dodgers were close enough to losing in the World Series that it's not fair to say they can freely buy themselves a championship -- the Mets spent more in 2025 and missed the postseason entirely -- but it's fair to say they're spending enough to give themselves something like a 95% chance of making the postseason and entering as the favorite.

The other side of the cap argument, of course, is that it would assuredly usher in the implementation of a salary floor -- a level at which teams must spend on payroll or else be subject to some degree of penalization. There's already a weak "floor" in place for revenue-sharing clubs, but it seems to lack any semblance of teeth. The A's felt compelled to spend enough to push their CBT payroll up to $105MM last year -- roughly 1.5 times the amount they receive annually from revenue-sharing -- but that was seemingly because they're the only club to have been actually stripped of revenue-sharing status in the past. The Marlins were supposedly in the same boat this winter, and they've thumbed their nose at the idea of spending, as evidenced by a CBT payroll in the $80MM range.

I can see the arguments for a cap/floor system. I'm skeptical that it would actually force the game's lowest-payroll clubs to spend in meaningful ways, but that's another topic -- and one that we'll surely debate ad nauseum in the year to come as CBA talks intensify.

But whether it's a salary floor, firm penalties for not spending revenue-sharing funds in tangible ways, or greater access to draft/international resources for non-playoff clubs who remain competitive, something has to give. Right now, there's at least one entire division content to sit on its hands as the five respective front offices seemingly embody that same level of defeatism felt by their small- and mid-market fan bases.

If the Dodgers are a budding dynasty, it's unequivocally fair to say that's in part because of their limitless spending capacity. But it's also because there are teams seemingly content to throw their hands up and ask, "why even bother?" At a certain point, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy -- and I'd argue that at least with regard to the AL Central, we've reached that point. Let's look at each AL Central club's offseason to date.

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Rockies Acquire Edouard Julien, Pierson Ohl

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The Twins have traded infielder Edouard Julien and right-hander Pierson Ohl to the Rockies, according to announcements from both clubs. Minor league right-hander Jace Kaminska and cash considerations are going to the Twins. The Rockies freed up two 40-man spots earlier today by trading Angel Chivilli to the Yankees and designating Yanquiel Fernández for assignment. Ohl was already off the 40-man because he was designated for assignment last week. Trading Julien drops Minnesota’s count to 39, as Kaminska does not require a spot.

Julien, 27 in April, has shown flashes of potential with a three-true-outcomes approach. His best showing was in his rookie season with the Twins in 2023. He struck out in 31.4% of his 408 plate appearances but also drew walks at a huge 15.7% clip and hit 16 home runs. Even with all the punchouts, his .263/.381/.459 batting line led to a 134 wRC+, indicating he was 34% better than league average.

Most of that damage came with the platoon advantage, as he had an awful .196/.229/.217 line against lefties, but it was still enough for him to finish seventh in American League Rookie of the Year voting and inspire a troubadour.

He hasn’t been at that level since then, however. He has taken 509 plate appearances over the past two seasons with just 11 home runs. His 10.8% walk rate is still above average but not otherworldly, while his strikeout rate stayed high at 32%. That led to a combined line of .208/.299/.324 and a 79 wRC+ for that span. Julien has experience at second and first base but isn’t a particularly strong defender at either position, which made the declining offense more problematic.

As he struggled, the Twins often sent him to the minors. He still hit well down there, with a .261/.406/.440 line and 125 wRC+ in Triple-A over the past two years, but he exhausted his option seasons in the process. That was going to put him on the fringes of the roster going forward. The Twins signed Josh Bell to play first base and seem likely to give Luke Keaschall run at second. They have Austin Martin, Eric Wagaman and Tristan Gray also in the mix.

Julien’s path to playing time in Colorado is much better. The Rockies don’t really have a clear option for first base or second base. At first, waiver claim Troy Johnston is one option but he has just 44 games of big league experience and can still be optioned to the minors. The Rockies just got T.J. Rumfield in the Chivilli trade today but he still doesn’t have a roster spot or any major league experience.

Since Julien isn’t a standout defender, he would be a better fit at first. But if the Rockies are willing to play him at the keystone, there’s not much in the way. The Rockies probably want to give some playing time to Adael Amador but he has a .176/.242/.250 line in his career thus far and can still be optioned to the minors. Ryan Ritter is in a somewhat similar situation. Willi Castro can bounce around to other positions.

Julien may play both positions, with his playing time at each determined by which other players on the roster are healthy and producing. He can be controlled for four full seasons, so the Rockies could keep him around if he bounces back to his 2023 form.

It also shouldn’t be a shock if Julien ends up traded again before those four years are up. Colorado has lost at least 101 games three years running, including an awful 43-119 season in 2025. That led to an organizational overhaul, with Paul DePodesta taking over as the new front office leader. Presumably, the club’s decision makers aren’t expecting a return to contention in the short term.

But it does appear that they see value in buying low from the fringes of other rosters. Earlier this winter, the Rockies acquired Jake McCarthy from the Diamondbacks. Like Julien, he has some major league success but is coming off a down year. Since he is out of options, the Snakes were going to have a tough time keeping him on the roster. The Rockies acquired him and his three remaining years of control. Since it will be difficult for Colorado to be good again in that window, the apparent hope is that McCarthy bounces back and can be traded after he has rebuilt some value. Julien is controlled for one more season than McCarthy but the situations are somewhat analogous.

As for Ohl, 26, he’s in a different boat. He only made his major league debut last year and has just 30 big league innings under his belt with a 5.10 earned run average. He can be controlled for six full seasons and also has a full slate of options, so he can be kept in the minors or shuttled up and down fairly regularly.

He doesn’t throw especially hard, averaging around 92 miles per hour with his four-seamer last year, but he has the intriguing combination of possessing strong control of a diverse arsenal. He mostly threw his four-seamer and changeup last year but also mixed in a cutter, sinker, curveball and even dabbled with a knuckleball. He tossed 71 1/3 innings across multiple levels of the farm last year, making six starts and 18 relief appearances, with a 2.40 ERA, 30.3% strikeout rate and 3.9% walk rate.

The Rockies need pitching more than any other team. Their collective 5.99 ERA was easily the worst in the majors last year. Since Ohl has experience starting and relieving, and also has options, he can move around based on the club’s needs. The Rockies presumably want to give starts to young pitchers like Chase Dollander, McCade Brown and Carson Palmquist but Ohl can step up if those guys struggle or need more time in the minors. He could also eat some innings out of the bullpen or be stashed in the minors as depth.

While those are intriguing pickups for the Rockies, the Twins probably feel they are mostly giving up guys who were getting squeezed out anyways. As mentioned, Ohl was already designated for assignment, while Julien is out of options.

In return, they are getting a bit of cash and some non-roster depth. Kaminska, 24, was a tenth-round pick of the Rockies in 2023. He hasn’t featured on top prospect lists but had good numbers a couple of years ago. In 2024, he tossed 87 1/3 innings at Single-A with a 2.78 ERA, 29.5% strikeout rate and 3.4% walk rate. He required Tommy John surgery in March of 2025 and missed the entire season. The Twins will try to get him back on track whenever he’s healthy. He will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December of 2026 if not added to the 40-man roster.

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Nick Wosika, Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images

Mariners Designate Jackson Kowar For Assignment

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The Mariners announced they’ve designated reliever Jackson Kowar for assignment. That opens a 40-man roster spot for catcher Jhonny Pereda, whom they acquired from the Twins in exchange for cash considerations. Minnesota had designated Pereda for assignment last week when they signed free agent catcher Victor Caratini to a two-year contract.

Kowar, 29, is a former supplemental first-round pick of the Royals. He allowed 79 runs in 74 innings over parts of three seasons with Kansas City. They swapped him to the Braves for injured starter Kyle Wright over the 2023-24 offseason. Kowar’s time with the organization lasted less than a month, as the Braves flipped him to Seattle as part of the multi-player deal that sent Jarred Kelenic to Atlanta.

It was a change-of-scenery sequence involving a number of former high draft picks, but none of the players involved performed as hoped. Kowar blew out during his first Spring Training as a member of the Mariners. He underwent Tommy John surgery and was out of action until May ’25. He was on and off the active roster for the next few months until suffering a season-ending shoulder impingement in August.

Kowar has ultimately made just 15 appearances in a Seattle uniform. He allowed eight runs over 17 innings, walking seven while recording 15 strikeouts. The Florida product gave up nine runs (five earned) across 16 Triple-A innings. He has an 8.21 earned run average with a 20.3% strikeout rate and elevated 13.1% walk percentage across 91 MLB innings.

Primarily a fastball-changeup pitcher earlier in his career, Kowar cut back on the change while ramping up his slider usage last season. It resulted in a few more whiffs in his Triple-A time, though his control remains an issue. He sits around 97 MPH with the fastball and could intrigue teams based on the arm speed and his draft pedigree despite the grisly MLB numbers. He’s out of options, so he’d need to break camp or again be designated for assignment if another team is willing to give him an offseason 40-man spot.

Pereda is a well-traveled depth catcher who has divided his 48 major league games between three teams. He debuted with 20 appearances for the Marlins two seasons ago and combined for 28 games between the A’s and Minnesota last year. The 29-year-old (30 in April) has hit .241 without a home run in 118 major league plate appearances. He has a strong upper minors track record, batting .296/.392/.419 in just shy of 1000 career Triple-A plate appearances.

The Venezuelan-born Pereda has a good arm and a generally solid defensive reputation. He also has a minor league option, so the M’s can send him back to Triple-A for the 2026 season. They signed Andrew Knizner to a $1MM free agent deal to work behind Cal Raleigh. Trading Harry Ford had left them without any other catchers on the 40-man roster. Pereda has a leg up on non-roster invitee Nick Raposo as the top depth option in case either of their MLB catchers suffer an injury. Knizner is a career .211/.281/.316 hitter, so it’s not out of the question that Pereda outplays him for the backup job during the season.

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