Levine, Twins' senior VP/GM, departs team after 8 seasons

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins general manager Thad Levine will not return for the 2025 season, the club announced Friday, continuing the organization’s flurry of leadership changes after vowing to evaluate all facets of their operations following their disappointing 12-27 finish to the ‘24 campaign and plummeting out of the playoff picture.

The club had already announced four departures from manager Rocco Baldelli’s coaching staff earlier in the week, encompassing all three hitting coaches -- David Popkins, Derek Shomon and Rudy Hernandez -- and assistant bench coach Tony Diaz.

Levine spent eight seasons with the Twins’ organization after he had been hired as senior vice president and general manager in Nov. 2016 as part of the rebuild of Minnesota’s baseball operations department under now-president of baseball operations Derek Falvey after the organization transitioned away from the Terry Ryan regime.

“I am grateful to the Pohlad family, Derek Falvey and Dave St. Peter for providing me with such a comprehensive leadership opportunity spanning the last eight years of my career,” Levine said in a statement. “The time is right for me to pursue my next enriching, professional challenge. I will forever cherish the friendships that I have made in the Minnesota Twins organization and throughout Twins Territory.”

Though Levine carried the “general manager” title that historically indicated the leadership role in baseball operations, modern retitling around the league has typically left baseball operations departments under the purview of the president of baseball operations -- which is, in this case, Falvey.

The Twins had already indicated on Sunday that Falvey will remain the leader of the organization’s baseball operations department moving forward -- and Baldelli will remain the manager for the ‘25 season.

Falvey and Levine had initially been presented as a forward-facing partnership with both representing the baseball operations department in the public eye for the first several years of their leadership, though Levine, who previously spent 11 years as assistant GM of the Rangers following 12 years with the Rockies, was less visible towards the end of his tenure.

“Thad’s impact on the Minnesota Twins cannot be overstated,” Falvey said in a statement. “He has been a true partner and leader, always striving to elevate the organization and care for the people around him. Thad helped create a strong team culture, one focused on excellence and collaboration, that will continue well into the future.”