MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins fired manager Rocco Baldelli on Monday, ending his seven-year tenure that included three American League Central titles after a second straight disappointing season.
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The Twins, who were expected to contend for the American League Central title this season, faltered in June and became sellers at the trade deadline — sending away 10 players while cutting $26 million from the payroll — and went 23-43 after the All-Star break to finish fourth in the division with a 70-92 mark.
The Twins went 19-35 after the deadline passed, with only the Colorado Rockies faring worse over the final two months.
The Twins finished with the fourth-worst record in the major leagues and their worst mark since 2016, when they went 59-103 after firing longtime general manager Terry Ryan at midseason. Current team president Derek Falvey was hired to replace Ryan after that.
The 44-year-old Baldelli, who won the 2019 AL Manager of the Year award as a rookie, has led the Twins to three division titles. In 2023, Minnesota ended a record 18-game postseason losing streak and won its first playoff series 2002.
Baldelli has an overall record of 527-505 in seven seasons, and he’s the third-winningest manager in Twins history behind Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.