Guardians fans won't be able to stop laughing at Twins' managerial finalists

While the 2025 World Series isn’t over yet, the managerial hiring cycle has already been kicked into overdrive due to the fact that nine teams had managerial vacancies this offseason. 

Although four of those teams have filled their vacancies (the Orioles became the latest team to fill their vacancy by hiring Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz), there are still five teams looking to find the man for the top step of their dugout. 

One of those teams is the Minnesota Twins, who fired manager Rocco Baldelli after winning just 70 games in 2025. And last week The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and Brittany Ghiroli (subscription required) provided a look into the candidates for the job, which is a list that features plenty of redundant, uninspiring options. 

According to Hayes and Ghiroli, the Twins are “focused” on former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton, Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais and Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty. 

Hayes and Ghiroli also wrote the Twins are interested in a candidate who they’re familiar with, so Shelton and Rowson stand out as the top options. 

The Twins list of managerial candidates shouldn’t scare Guardians fans

Shelton previously served as the Twins bench coach in the 2018 and ‘19 seasons, while Rowson was the team’s hitting coach from 2017-19. 

Neither one of those options should keep Guardians fans up at night. Shelton managed the Pirates for four-plus seasons and went 306-440 (.410). He was previously a finalist for the Twins job when they hired Baldelli, and is reportedly close with president Derek Falvey. 

Rowson is best known for serving as the Twins hitting coach in 2019 when the “Bomba Squad” Twins hit an MLB-record 307 home runs. He went on to serve as the bench coach for the Marlins and assistant hitting coach for the Tigers before being hired by the Yankees. 

Servis arguably has the best résumé of all of those listed candidates. He managed the Mariners for seven-and-a-half seasons and led the team to a 680-642 (.514) record before being fired during the 2024 season.  He's currently working as a special assistant for the Padres

Meanwhile, Stephen Vogt has led the Guardians to two straight American League Central titles in his two seasons as the helm and has had two top lieutenants poached this offseason.   

The Twins were a thorn in the Guardians’ side for most of Baldelli’s tenure, but the team took an obvious step back as the front office cut payroll. Even if the Guardians have some holes to fill this offseason, the Twins’ managerial search is another reminder of how far ahead the Guardians are compared to the Twins.