Neal: Ex-Twins manager Rocco Baldelli looks back with no regrets, no animosity

Rocco Baldelli is back home in Rhode Island, where he was once called “The Woonsocket Rocket” for his exploits as a player. He’s been watching the playoffs and spending time with his family.

His other home, the one in the Twin Cities, is being prepared to be placed on the market.

That’s largely been his biggest development in three weeks since being dismissed as Twins manager.

“I’ve been doing actually pretty good,” Baldelli said during a phone conversation this week. “You know, trying to relax a little bit, take the deep breaths.

“Really, I just want to get back into the swing of just being a dad and being a husband. So that’s really my main, main thought, you know, I enjoy catching up with my friends throughout the game and things like that. So that’s been nice.”

Normal offseason stuff. The only difference is that there’s no plan for 2026. Baldelli said it is the first time in 26 years he’s beginning an offseason not affiliated with a team or not knowing what he would be doing the next season.

I wasn’t surprised to hear Baldelli embrace the benefits of being out of work. In seven seasons of sitting in his office or a dugout and listening to him, he frequently saw the bright side. Even when the Twins were playing rock-bottom baseball at times, he spoke of the clubhouse sticking together and turning things around.

So it should not be a surprise that Baldelli is not bitter about his ousting. He will remember the Bomba Squad of 2019 — the year he was named American League Manager of the Year — and then ending the Twins’ postseason losing streak in 2023.

He was 527-505 in seven seasons, the third-most wins by a manager in club history. During that time, he got married to Allie and had three children — daughter Louisa and twin sons Enzo and Nino.

He fell short of the ultimate goal, which is winning a championship. But throughout our hour-long conversation, he made it clear that he respected the decision to make a change and praised the staff he worked with.

That includes team president Derek Falvey, the man who informed him that ownership sought a new voice and different energy. When the two discussed his future, Falvey said they spoke for two hours. Baldelli said he lost track of time as they went over what worked and what didn’t during his tenure. Baldelli wouldn’t provide details about the content of their discussion, but he still considers Falvey a friend.

“But as a whole, that seven years was just a magnificent time for me, and I do believe it was an opportunity of a lifetime,” Baldelli said. “And the people that I got a chance to do it with and cooperate with and team up with were exactly what any person would hope for.”

“I sat in one of the bedrooms and tried to get back to as many people as I could,” Baldelli said.

Baldelli leaves an organization in transition, on and off the field. The rebuilding program began at midseason when 11 players were moved before the trade deadline. The Twins head into 2026 looking at their most extensive youth movement since the late 1990s.

The transition continued off the field, as the organization severed ties with several scouts toward the end of the regular season.

It continued last week, as several members of the sales department were let go. The Twins intend to add personnel to some departments, but more people appear to be moving on instead of being hired.

The most significant change will come to the ownership structure, as the Pohlad family will bring in two limited partnership groups that will purchase around 20% of the franchise. It will allow the Pohlads to pay down hundreds of millions of dollars in debt that has accumulated in recent years.

“I’m not walking away upset about anything,” Baldelli said. “Whoever they bring in next is going to do a great job and work with a lot of talented guys and hopefully get even more guys to take the next step in their careers and play great.”

Baldelli will sit back, enjoy time with his family and see how the Twins evolve from this reset. Only 44 years old, he has plenty of time to return to the grind of managing or coaching. The Twins quietly picked up his option for 2026, which he gets to collect.

Right now, he’s more than content hanging with his family in Rhode Island.