Twins Reportedly Pick Former Pirates Manager As New Skipper

According to multiple reports on Wednesday, the Minnesota Twins have chosen former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton as their new skipper. He was one of four finalists for the job along with former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais, New York Yankees hitting coach James Rowson and Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty.

Shelton, who was fired by the Pirates in May after a 12-26 start, will rejoin the Twins after serving as their bench coach from 2018 to 2019 under Paul Molitor and Rocco Baldelli. That familiarity likely gave him a leg up over the competition.

He will replace Baldelli, who was dismissed after another disappointing season in Minnesota. The Twins went 70-92 this year, missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.

The Minnesota Twins will reportedly name Derek Shelton as their new manager, per multiple reports including MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. pic.twitter.com/RuHrdsHW3m

— MLB (@MLB) October 29, 2025

Shelton will try to turn things around in Minnesota and get his old team back on track. He didn’t have much success in Pittsburgh, however, leading the Pirates to a 306-440 record during his six seasons in the dugout and failing to reach the postseason.

Pittsburgh replaced Shelton with Don Kelly, who recently received a contract extension. Kelly had a significantly better winning percentage than Shelton this year, guiding the club to a .476 winning percentage compared to its .316 mark this season.

Shelton will get another chance to prove himself after things didn’t work out in Pittsburgh. The Twins are also rebuilding, however, so it may be a while before he can really show what he can do.

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