MINNEAPOLIS — Despite a monumental collapse in the last six weeks that cost the Twins a spot in the American League’s six-team field, manager Rocco Baldelli and president of baseball operations Derek Falvey will return for the 2025 season.

Team owner Joe Pohlad lamented the club’s play, saying it was “embarrassing” and “angering,” but he confirmed Falvey’s return Sunday.

“I don’t judge employees off of six crummy weeks,” Pohlad said. “He’s got eight years of a résumé and I talk with Derek daily so I know what he’s doing. He’s got player development resume, he’s got a major league resume and yeah, he’s busting his [butt]. He’s the right guy.”

Falvey backed Baldelli to return for a seventh season, but he declined to comment on the status for general manager Thad Levine or any of the coaches on Baldelli’s staff.

“Rocco is my manager,” Falvey said. “We do a decent job most days, or at least I try, to keep a steadiness in the way we go about our business. But behind the scenes, we’ve been gutted during this process trying to figure out how we fix it. That’s led to sleepless nights and challenging conversations and one-on-one conversations between he and I that will stay one on one, but have been at times really digging deep and trying to figure out how to fix it. I believe in his process, I believe in him, I believe in the partnership I have with him. That is how I feel and ultimately, that’s the way we’re going to go forward.”

____

©2024 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.