Here’s the latest news on the Twins’ hunt for Ron Gardenhire’s replacement…
TODAY
- The Twins have had no contact whatsoever with Maddon, reports Berardino, whose report indicates that expected cost may be a factor. A source in Maddon’s camp tells Berardino that the former Rays manager would have welcomed the interest but would probably be looking for a team with a clearer route to competing in the near term.
YESTERDAY
- Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo had his second interview with the Twins today, according to Derek Wetmore and Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN. Lovullo’s first interview went well, and past rumors had seemingly narrowed Minnesota’s choices down to Lovullo, Paul Molitor and Doug Mientkiewicz.
- New market addition Joe Maddon is not in the mix for Minnesota, the report adds. Molitor seems to be the favorite for the job at this point, per Wetmore and Wolfson.
- The Twins have yet to ask the Royals for permission to interview bench coach Don Wakamatsu, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. It could be that the Twins have already decided upon the aforementioned finalists, or they could simply be waiting until Kansas City’s postseason run is over.
Mientkiewicz is an intriguing option to me, I feel like he would do a great job as a manager
I agree. I think he would be a fine choice. I like the route some of the teams are going with now taking chances on ex players not too far removed from the game.
Is Maddon not an option due to the fact that the Twins stink? I’ve got to imagine they would have interest…?
The Twins don’t seem to be interested because 1) he has no connections to Minnesota or the Twins (and they seem to be fixated on that), 2) they’d actually have to pay him (and we all know how the Twins feel about spending money), and 3) Maddon’s style is the polar opposite of Terry Ryan’s (and the Twins have proven they’re unwilling to change or try new things)
I agree with #3, though not as sarcastically…..
Madden is a numbers guy. He changes his starting line-up literally daily. His players go in and out of the game due to matchups and statistical probabilities. He moves players around the field to different positions with just a few exceptions.
Ryan and the Twins seem to prefer set lineups, with players knowing their roles and what is expected of them. The final 8 teams in the playoffs this year pretty much had set line-ups, with maybe one or two exceptions depending on a matchup or allowing for defensive considerations.
The team the Twins are building through their farm system, like today’s successful teams, consist of position players that are capable of hitting both left and right-handed pitching, and fielding their position. It appears that Madden manages in a style that is not compatible with what the Twins have been developing for 4-5 years now.
I think there’s some room to challenge the set lineup theory. Just because it’s what Gardy did doesn’t make it immutable, and in a period where there are lots of kids still developing their skills it’s a good time to save an Arcia from tough lefties or whatever. They don’t have solid players all around the diamond so perhaps it’s time to platoon and piece it together.
That said, Madden would be a radical departure from Gardenhire. That’s not a deal-breaker, but it adds some risk. (And as far as breaking Madden’s chances of landing in MN, the rumored $5m asking price is the salient discussion point.)
He wants to win soon. Then why the Cubs? The Twins have a better farm system than the Cubs and he could stay in the American League.
I don’t really see Maddon as a fit in Minnesota any way. I did however read that he is interested in managing in the NL. My best guess is he sits out to start the year and slides in midway when some team (eh hem cubs dodgers) decide their guy isn’t cutting it. Firing a mgr at this point to bring in a big name guy would, in my opinion be a bad move for many reasons.
I stand corrected.
You must not pay attention to which franchise has money to go out there and putout a $150M payroll as soon as tomorrow. The Cubs have a great farm and mix that in with payroll flexibility and that means they could instantly become a contender.