Neal: Whom should the Twins hire as their next manager?

After Brian Snitker stepped down from the Atlanta Braves, that meant that eight major league teams are in need of a new manager. That includes the Twins, as team President Derek Falvey will conduct the second managerial search of his career.

Falvey indicated Tuesday that he doesn’t have a set list of traits the next Twins manager must have. That allows him to draw from a range of candidates, which is the right way to approach this. With seven other teams looking for new on-field leaders, he will need a large pool of candidates to consider.

This is a good time to manage expectations, as I like to do at times.

The Twins are not ready to win.

They have talent on the roster but not enough polished players to expect a quick turnaround. They have a strong farm system, which is a plus.

The biggest drawback is that the Twins likely aren’t ready to fund a roster that can win.

As my colleague Bobby Nightengale pointed out, a team does not light its roster on fire at the trade deadline and then turn around and raise the payroll the following offseason. The tendencies of the Pohlad family through the years — except for the failed Carlos Correa signings — make an about-face on the spending front highly unlikely.

The Twins need someone who can get several of their developing players over the hump. That is the one quality Falvey admitted is necessary for teams in the Twins’ market size. There will always be younger players breaking into the majors, and a manager who can help develop skills is required.

David Ross, Skip Schumaker, Ryan Flaherty, George Lombard Sr. and Brandon Hyde all have been mentioned as managerial candidates in this cycle. And I’m sure Falvey will contact some of them.

But there are some interesting folks out there who deserve a chance. And a number of them with some ties to the Twins who have experience elsewhere in baseball.

Here are five candidates I would have a conversation with if I could take over Falvey’s body and begin this search:

Jayce Tingler: The fate of Rocco Baldelli’s coaching staff will be determined by the new manager. Why not bench coach Tingler, who has institutional knowledge of the organization since joining it in 2022? Tingler managed San Diego in 2020 and 2021, leading the Padres to a wild-card berth in his first season and finishing as the runner-up in National League Manager of the Year voting. Things didn’t end well there, though, so he would have to explain why things would be different here.

James Rowson: I don’t know whether there is anyone other than Rowson who has worked with Alex Rodriguez and Aaron Judge. And Rowson is the only person I know who calls A-Rod “Al.” He has been an effective motivator as a hitting coach at most of his stops, including his current one with the New York Yankees, with his best work coming with the 2019 Twins Bomba Squad that bashed 307 home runs and finished second in the majors in runs scored. He had managerial aspirations when he left the Twins to join Don Mattingly as a bench coach and offensive coordinator. He deserves a chance and would be a good influence on Twins hitters trying to take the next step.

Torii Hunter: In 2018, the All-Star Game was held at Nationals Park in Washington. Hunter managed the U.S team in the Futures Game. Matthew LeCroy was his bench coach and LaTroy Hawkins his pitching coach. After the game, Hunter leaned back in his office and said, “I could manage in the majors.” I didn’t take him seriously, but now a report says Hunter, a special assistant for the Los Angeles Angels, is under consideration to be Ron Washington’s replacement. If Hunter really wants to manage, the Twins should have a conversation with him. He was the spiritual leader of every team he played for, and that might work with this bunch.

Toby Gardenhire: Who has more knowledge about development within this organization than Gardenhire? He has helped players reach the majors. He’s used to getting them back on track when they are sent down. He has spent the last five seasons with the St. Paul Saints as manager as many current Twins moved through on the way to the majors.

Don’t expect the Twins to make a home run hire. Don’t expect them to land the best candidate on the market or someone with big name recognition. The next manager of the Twins could come from a list like this one.