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MINNEAPOLIS – Two years ago, the Minnesota Twins named their chief baseball officer, Derek Falvey, on the condition that Paul Molitor remain a director.
Molitor chaired a playoff team and won the AHL manager title in 2017, but the Twins have retreated this season. Last week, Falvey and General Manager Thad Levine decided that it was a good time to hire their own director.
Citing the pursuit of a more productive development of their young players, Falvey and Levine fired Molitor on Tuesday while giving him the opportunity to stay within the organization in an indeterminate position in baseball operations.
"It was not about our album this year. That's about what we think is the best, as we continue to train a young team to become a championship contender, "said Falvey.
Falvey and other club leaders have expressed confidence that Molitor will stay with the Twins for more than 20 years in which he has worked for them in various roles, including the last three seasons of his career with the Twins. Hall of Fame.
"I fully respect this decision," said Molitor in a statement distributed by the team. "I will always be grateful for the opportunity that they have given me to assume the role of manager for the past four years. I will examine their actual offer of serving in a different capacity to have a positive impact on the Twins in a different role. "
The Twins earned 305-343 points under Molitor, aged 62, with only one playoff run in 2017. They were 78-84 this year, long off the playoffs after a series of setbacks from several key players.
Falvey and Levine, during a press conference at the Target Field to announce the change, did not explain the specific reasons for Molitor's dismissal or the qualities they are looking for with his replacement. The 20-minute session with reporters was widely praised by Molitor's insight and attitude, including his willingness to use a data-driven New Age strategy, such as defensive changes and the launch of a match. with a relief launcher.
With the context of this year's struggles by central defender Byron Buxton and third baseman Miguel Sano, players have long been the cornerstone of the franchise. however. Shortly after Molitor was removed from office, the Twins announced the dismissal of seven minor league coaches and two strength and conditioning coaches from the Major League Staff.
"During a conversation with Paul last year at that time, we looked at what the future might look like if he did not," Falvey said. "It's never the right time to make a difficult decision, and it's never easy. You have to weigh all the factors we learned about this team this year, where we are and what to do to get ahead. We thought the time had come to have this conversation with Paul.
After the Twins were 85-77 years old and reached the wild card match last season, Molitor got a new three-year contract. Before Minnesota qualifies for the playoffs, Molitor may have been let go at the end of last season.
"I do not really think it was a huge hurdle for them," Pohlad said. "I mean, everyone wanted the situation fixed, and so am I, because Paul is a personal friend and he has done so much for our organization and is so important to our community. I am therefore happy with this decision. "
However, executives often prefer to choose their own managers. Falvey and Levine will now take on this task. They are ready to wait for the end of the World Series to decide, in case a candidate still participates.
"It's an eye on the future," said team president Dave St. Peter. "What puts us in the best position to get out of this hole in which we are?"
The Twins have acquired bullhorns Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed and Zach Duke, novice pitchers Lance Lynn and Jake Odorizzi and the designated hitter Logan Morrison during the winter, but Rodney and Duke have been the only ones not to be considered as disappointments in the field.
Shortstop Jorge Polanco has been suspended from 80 matches to allow the season to positively test a performance enhancing substance. The starter from Operation Ervin Santana was painfully slow to get surgery. Receiver Jason Castro has a knee injury late in the season. Second baseman Brian Dozier worked during the summer with substandard production. Rodney, Duke, Lynn and Dozier, as well as shortstop Eduardo Escobar and relieving pitcher Ryan Pressly, were all traded for contenders in July and August.
Molitor, who has spent the last three seasons of his career at the Hall of Fame within the team of his hometown, has held several roles within the organization before being named 13th. manager of the Twins in 2015.
Molitor was an itinerant minor league instructor, focused on performance and performance, from 2003 to 2013, with a one-year spell as a coach-striker for the Seattle Mariners in between. He coached the Twins under the direction of Tom Kelly in 2000 and 2001, and then coached executive coach Ron Gardenhire in 2014, focusing on the strategy of low shot, derision, infield and play.
"What we aspire to control is to identify the younger core of players we've been talking about for years in this community and apply ourselves in the off-season to try to get those guys take a step forward, "said Levine. "And I think if we do that, the victories and the defeats are probably going to take care of themselves, and the gap we see between us and the Cleveland Indians will begin to subside fairly quickly."
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