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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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On Sept. 2, the Minnesota Twins were 75-62, 3.5 games out of first place in the American League Central. All they had to do to secure a Wild Card berth was lose no more than five games in the American League standings.
From that day forward, Minnesota had the second-worst record in MLB. The Twins' 7-18 finish didn't merely cost them a spot in the postseason. It appears to have cost their general manager his job.
On Friday, the Twins announced Thad Levine would not be returning to the organization in 2025, as his contract was not renewed. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey will be coming back on a new contract, he announced last week.
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"I am grateful to the Pohlad family, Derek Falvey, and [team president] Dave St. Peter for providing me with such a comprehensive leadership opportunity spanning the last eight years of my career," Levine said in a team release, reported by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "The time is right for me to pursue my next enriching, professional challenge."
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The Twins' downfall was swift and dramatic, but it began even before their September swoon. Minnesota was two games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians on Aug. 17 but went 12-27 afterward. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers went on a tear. Their 26-12 record from the same date onward was tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best in baseball.
September merely hastened the inevitable. Even the Chicago White Sox (10-15), who set a modern-day record with 121 losses, outplayed the Twins (9-18) over the season's final month.
Levine's job wasn't the only one caught up in the downfall. While manager Rocco Baldelli kept his job, all three of the Twins' major league hitting coaches did not.
Levine joined the Twins' front office along with Falvey eight years ago. During that time the Twins won three American League Central titles and reached the postseason again as a Wild Card in 2017.
In 2023, they ended a 19-year drought without a postseason victory by beating the Toronto Blue Jays in a two-game AL Wild Card series. They were tied 1-1 in their AL Division Series against the Houston Astros before ultimately losing in four games.
Levine, 52, might not be without a job for long. According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Levine "is looking to pursue the types of larger major-league opportunities he's previously declined." Last year, the Boston Red Sox interviewed Levine for their top executive position but hired Craig Breslow instead. The previous year, he interviewed with the Tigers for their executive vacancy.
The San Francisco Giants recently parted ways with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and could move to hire a new top lieutenant under his successor, Buster Posey.
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