Twins executive Derek Falvey departs in mutual agreement as organizational revamp continues

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Since assuming control of the Minnesota Twins, Tom Pohlad has taken a bold and decisive approach to reinvigorating the family-run franchise.

Deep conversations with his top executive produced another startling move, when the Twins and president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey announced on Friday they have mutually decided to part ways.

“We just came to the conclusion, collectively, that the needs of the organization are evolving,” Pohlad said. “The vision is probably a little bit different than what it was before. The landscape is different, and it’s best for both of us if we make a change, and best for the Minnesota Twins.”

Long one of the most stable franchises in the major leagues, the Twins have now explored a sale, added new investors, changed executive chairs in a reorganization of the front office, changed managers and had their baseball chief depart all in a span of about 15 months. The Twins also traded 10 players off the major league roster in the week leading up to the deadline last summer.

The timing of Falvey's departure was unusual, with spring training less than two weeks away. Last week, he emceed a kickoff media luncheon ahead of the team’s annual fan festival at Target Field. This was not an exit that anyone outside of the club's inner circle saw coming.

But Pohlad took over as executive chair just last month, having previously been immersed in the family's other businesses without ever having a formal role with the baseball team. Falvey, 42, was first hired to run the baseball department in October 2016 under Pohlad's uncle. He was elevated a year ago to oversee the business side as well by Pohlad's younger brother.

Falvey's relationship with this Pohlad had to start from the ground level, and their differing styles became apparent to both of them. Falvey acknowledged he's more process-oriented and consensus-driven in his leadership.

“Sometimes it’s just a feel that you get where both sides kind of sit there and say, ‘OK, is this the right match for what we need going forward?’ And if you get to a place where you don’t think it’s that, perfectly, you have to have really honest conversations and dialogue about it,” Falvey said. “We did, and ultimately it led to this point. I know it’s surprising and jarring in some ways, and I want to help smooth that for everybody here because I care so much about the people here. I believe in this team. I believe in the organization that’s still inside this building."

The Twins made the postseason four times during Falvey's nine-year tenure, but since the last of Falvey's three division titles in 2023 the organization has been through a rocky time on and off the field. The Twins went 70-92 in 2025, as attendance at the ballpark and morale within the fan base further plummeted.

“The sense of urgency is about making sure that we start right this second getting after what the long-term plan is for this organization,” Pohlad said on a video conference call with reporters. “I’ve talked a lot about, recently, finding a way to build a business that can support a level of investment in the team two or three years from now, and that can be playing competitive baseball for a string of seasons in a row. That’s what we are trying to build. I think 2026 is critical to that success.”

Executive vice president and general manager Jeremy Zoll will remain in his role in oversight of the baseball department and report to Pohlad, who will assume interim oversight of the business operations and immediately direct the search for a replacement.

After longtime president Dave St. Peter transitioned to an advisory role last year, Falvey added the entire business side to his baseball department responsibilities. Pohlad, however, prefers a more hands-on involvement with the business operations.

“Sometimes things just run its course. There doesn’t have to be anything wrong with that or anything salacious behind that. Derek has had an incredible run here at the Twins and accomplished as much as any other executive in baseball with this organization,” Pohlad said. "I think it’s just time for both of us, professionally and personally, and this organization to move forward.

Pohlad praised Falvey for the way he modernized the baseball operations after replacing longtime general manager Terry Ryan, who was revered throughout the game but from an old-school scouting background that predated the data revolution throughout baseball.

Falvey, a former college pitcher who previously served as a scout and executive with Cleveland before coming to Minnesota, said he's simply eager to spend more time with his family before figuring out his next career move. As he conducted his own video conference call from Target Field after Pohlad's session was finished, Falvey was remarkably upbeat for being on his way out.

‘’I don’t know what it’s like to turn my phone off for five minutes or step away from all that," Falvey said. "It’ll be interesting for a period of time. It’ll be great for my wife and kids. I can’t wait to lean into that some. That’s important to me as part of this journey. I’m a glass-half-full guy."

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FILE - Minnesota Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey speaks to fans and media during the baseball team's annual fan fest at Target Field, Jan. 28, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Kautz says she now carries her passport around the Minneapolis suburb where she's been the mayor since 1995.

“Those ICE agents don't know that I'm the mayor of the city of Burnsville,” Kautz, a Republican who has occasionally diverted from the Trump administration's views, said Wednesday as the United States Conference of Mayors opened its meeting in Washington. “I could be coming out of a store and be harassed so I need to make sure that I have credentials on me.”

Her comments reflected a sense of frustration and exasperation hanging over the gathering of mayors, which would typically be a venue for leaders to strategize over issues ranging from affordable housing and transit to climate change and addressing urban violence.

But much of that was overshadowed by the fallout from the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by two federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, reigniting a national debate over the Trump administration's aggressive law enforcement tactics, which have often focused on cities.

“There has been no more urgent challenge facing all Americans these past few weeks than the chaos in Minnesota stemming from an unprecedented surge in immigration enforcement,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a Republican who is the conference's president this year.

Multiple mayors said they appreciated President Donald Trump's nod this week toward deescalating the federal government's operation in Minnesota, adding that they agreed with the administration's goal of deporting undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.

But they also described a dynamic in which they're facing pressure from constituents to evict federal agents from their cities — something they can't do — while struggling to align with federal counterparts.

The surge has had a notable impact even in cities that haven't faced the brunt of the federal government's pressure like Minneapolis.

“When trust is lost in how laws are being enforced in one city, we feel the risks to our police officers and to our residents in all cities,” said Leirion Gaylor Baird, the Democratic mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Asked about the mayors' concerns, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin responded: “Have they seen the plummeting murder rates? It’s not a coincidence when you remove tens of thousands of gang members, murderers and known and suspected terrorists from the country who were here illegally.”

Holt said the White House hasn't invited the mayors for a meeting while they're in town this week. Trump has repeatedly put the onus on local officials to cooperate with federal law enforcement, saying Wednesday on social media that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was “PLAYING WITH FIRE” for saying his city won't enforce federal immigration laws.

Jerry Dyer was the police chief in Fresno, California, for 18 years before he was elected mayor in 2020 as a Republican. He said he wasn't in Washington to “bash” ICE or the administration and expressed appreciation for Trump's work to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

But he criticized the way federal immigration enforcement has been implemented and said ICE was “being rejected” by communities across the U.S. In the process, he warned, trust in law enforcement is in peril.

“In order to gain that trust, we have to police neighborhoods with their permission,” he said. “We cannot be seen as an occupying force when we go into these neighborhoods.”

Jim Hovland, the nonpartisan mayor of Edina, Minnesota, a suburb just south of Minneapolis, described “external forces” that are tearing “at the very fabric of our communities that we're responsible for shepherding.”

“It's really hard to figure out how to deal with it,” he said.

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer’s last name.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, right, speaks during a panel discussion with Fresno, Calif. Mayor Jerry Dyer, left, and Omaha, Neb. Mayor John Ewing, Jr. during the 94th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)