The Twins' front office decided to keep Paul Molitor (perhaps at the owners' insistence) and fire pitching coach Neil Allen.
Whatever the process, I think they got this right, or at least made two defensible moves.
I've written at length about why I thought Molitor should be re-signed. And if it took ownership prodding the front office to make that move, that's fine. Ownership knows Molitor better than Falvey and Levine.
The Allen move is intriguing. I was surprised the Twins brought him back last year, after 103 losses and a DUI. I'm empathetic to those with addictions, and I didn't necessarily want to see him punished, but last winter would have been a logical time for a new front office to make a change.
The Twins finished 19th in ERA this season. That may speak more to the existing pitching problems throughout the organization than Allen's work, but with big-league coaches it's always hard to tell.
JIM SOUHAN
