In a move that would make even the most audacious corporate heads of state blush, the Minnesota Twins — a billion-dollar enterprise masking itself as a “sports team” — today announced the termination of its manager Rocco Baldelli in a continued master class of who NOT to run a baseball team. Why now? Perhaps the owners finally realized they couldn’t blame the janitorial staff for losses. More likely, this marks the climactic chapter in a sweeping cleanup operation where anyone with actual baseball know-how was reassigned (or politely escorted out). In short: once you’ve purged every capable employee, the only option left is to fire the manager and hope the chaos has momentum.

“This is a difficult day because of what Rocco represents to so many people here,” Twins president Derek Falvey said in a statement. “He led with honesty, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to our players and staff. He gave himself fully to this role and I have tremendous respect and gratitude for the way he carried himself and the way he showed up every single day.”

The move comes only three months after the Twins signed Baldelli, 44, to a contract extension through next season then trading away 10 players in a trade deadline fire sale that cut $26 million in team payroll and included most of Rocco’s bullpen. The Twins, expected to compete for an AL Central Championship in 2025, were 45-47 at the All-Star Break. After the fire sale, the Twins limped to a 19-35 record in August and September in league where 87 wins made the playoffs…and 88 wins won the division.

The Twins finished 70-92…their worst season since 2016.

…Of course, when you’re intent on not winning, consistency is key. Every move the Twins make these days seems to follow the same blueprint: set up expectations, dangle hope, then pull the rug out and blame the dog for scratching the floor.

If this sounds less like a sports franchise and more like a billion-dollar startup performing a quarterly sacrifice, that’s because the business playbook is eerily familiar. First came the “strategic restructuring,” which in baseball terms meant trading away or letting walk the bulk of their most consistent players and a number of top-tier coaches and analysts. Then came the press-conference euphemisms: realignment, long-term vision, and the ever-popular financial flexibility.

And finally—today—the classic finale: dismiss the one person who has to explain it all after every loss. Baldelli, who guided the team to three AL Central titles and even broke that long-suffering playoff win drought to put the Twins as close as they’ve been to a World Series in two decades, suddenly became the “underperforming middle manager” in an ownership group that had quietly pulled the batteries out of its own smoke detectors.

Fans might recognize the pattern. It’s the same formula that has graced countless boardrooms and annual reports:

• Eliminate the core talent under the banner of “efficiency.”

• Watch results falter.

• Fire the person still holding meetings and writing memos, ideally someone with a recognizable face for the press release.

Rinse, repeat, collect gate receipts.

Except gate receipts have slowed as of late. The team was losing, fans were frustrated with the lack of commitment from owners, ticket sales plummeted, fan interest in the team waned…must be the manager’s fault. Attendance dropped to its lowest non-pandemic level since 2000 (when the team was facing contraction…), with just over 1.7 million tickets sold at Target Field.

Baldelli began his tenure strong, winning the 2019 AL Manager of the Year award as a rookie skipper after leading the Twins to a 101-win season, just the second 100-win campaign in team history. He also guided the Twins to a postseason win in 2023, snapping the club’s 18-game playoff losing streak and securing their first playoff series victory since 2002. He finished his Twins run with a 527-505 record, making him the third-winningest manager in team history behind Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire.

If the Twins were auditioning for the role of “Least Trustworthy Franchise of the Decade,” they might just have locked in the part. For Rocco, this looks like following a well-worn path in Minnesota sports: “Promise, hope, promise, cut, excuse.” He arrives with goodwill and a fan base ready to believe. Then he leaves with a glut of thank-you quotes and a resume that now says, “replaces himself, apparently.”

With Baldelli now out the door, the Twins are left with a locker room full of players, a front office full of friends-of-friends, and an ownership that says, “Trust us, we’ve got this.”

Former Twins closer Jhoan Duran, who was traded to the Phillies in July, watched his team get ripped apart at the deadline. “The last hour was crazy.” he said. “Everybody traded. I said, what the f***? Sorry for (swearing).”

Surely, somewhere someone is thinking: what could go wrong?

To be fair, one could argue the Twins have a long view. Maybe at their next press conference they’ll unveil a grand, visionary plan to not sign free agents, not invest in a bullpen, not try in September — a “zero-cost, zero-expectation” model that saves on payroll and fan satisfaction simultaneously.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about firing a guy. It’s about firing the idea that the front office has even a little clue what it’s doing.

Actually, redact that. This team has one goal: spend as little as they can. The Pohlads are a reported half-billion dollars in debt.

The search for a new manager begins immediately to manage a team that really only guarantees Byron Buxton back and that’s because he has a no-trade clause. He’s also earned $1 million in plate appearance incentives this season after putting together his healthiest season as a pro. He will also get an additional $3 if he finishes in the Top Ten in the AL MVP vote.

Byron Buxton has already earned $1m via plate appearance incentives in the last 10 days. He could earn another $3m with a top-10 AL MVP finish. Joe Pohlad won’t like that.

The Twins could continue to slash payroll by moving front-line starters Pablo Lopez and/or Joe Ryan. Could Royce Lewis be moved? Matt Wallner? Trevor Larnach? Ryan Jeffers? Never say never.

Early managerial chatter ranges from internal development-minded candidates to external names with player-development bona fides—because if you’re going to trim around the edges, you’ll want a manager who can turn prospects into production. Expect a focus on teaching, versatility, and a tolerance for turbulence.

With the money crunch, it’s extremely unlikely that the Twins go outside the organization to hire the new manager. And they’ll likely have to compete with a number of teams that are expected to make changes in dugout leadership: Colorado, the LA Angels, Baltimore, Atlanta, Detroit (if the postseason doesn’t go well). Texas has already cut four-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy loose…and there is no chance he goes to an uncertain situation with a rebuilding team. San Francisco has fired Bob Melvin, also.

The big name to watch will be Craig Albernaz, the Cleveland Guardians bench coach who is expected to take over a big-league club somewhere. A first-time manager looking to make his impact. You’ve got guys like Brad Ausmus, Don Mattingly, Manny Acta and David Ross out there who would likely like another job in the bigs.

But likely, the move will come from within. Or Derek Shelton, the former Twins bench coach who was fired as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this season. Bench coach Jayce Tingler managed San Diego for two seasons. He’ll likely be interested in the job.

Or do they go the route that will peak fan interest. Torii Hunter? Justin Morneau? Michael Cuddyer? Maybe they give Tony Oliva a shot? Heck, Gardy is only 73 wins away from passing Tom Kelly on the franchise list. He should be able to accomplish that in maybe two years with this roster. Give him another shot.

Only time will tell.

So, a tip of the cap to Rocco Baldelli — may your next gig be with an organization that hasn’t fired all its smart people first. As for the Twins owners? Here’s hoping they left one light on in the building — because with that many pink slips handed out, they’re going to need someone to clean up the mess.

(If not, I’m available. Résumé ready.)