twin manager Rocco Baldelli was originally signed to a 4-year contract extending from 2019 to 2022 with a wide selection of clubs. that is report in September last year that he would be retained until 2023 but it is unclear whether the club will simply choose an option or sign a new contract. Currently Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Twins picked those options ahead of last season and gave Baldelli an extension until at least 2025.
It is not known exactly how long the new contract will last, but it is worth noting that it will last for at least two more seasons after the current campaign. That means there is no immediate concern about the “lame duck” situation, and it also shows that the organization has a lot of faith in the work that Baldelli has done.
Baldelli’s tenure has seen the club deliver inconsistent results. His first two seasons both resulted in the Twins topping American League Central, 101-61 in 2019 and then 36-24 in the shortened 2020 season. However, followed a disappointing 73-89 performance in 2021. Despite that difficult campaign, the club’s decision-makers clearly felt satisfied enough to let Baldelli take the lead. The leader should quietly make a new deal to keep him around longer.
Last year, they led the league for most of the season but fell short during that period due to increased injuries, eventually leading to a 78-84 record and a third-place finish. Through the early part of 2023, they are on the upswing again, though largely thanks to their weak divergence. They are the only club in the Central region with a winning record, currently 25-22. That should be enough to put a 3.5-game lead over the second-placed Tigers, even though the Twins have the same track record as the Blue Jays, who are in the basement of AL East.
The club is clearly in a win-win mode, having offered huge contracts to players like Carlos Correa And Byron Buxton in recent years, as well as deals for advanced players like Gray Sonny And Pablo López. The more disappointing result will raise the temperature under Baldelli’s seat but it looks like he’s currently quite comfortable in the Minnesota vault.
