The Twins announce that GM Thad Levine is leaving the organization after 8 years

The Minnesota Twins and general manager Thad Levine have decided to part ways. The team announced this on Friday.

In a statement, the Twins said Levine is leaving the club “to pursue new challenges and opportunities, both inside and outside of baseball.”

Minnesota posted a 9-18 record in September and was 28-38 after the All-Star break, eliminating it from the running for a wild-card spot in the American League. The Twins ultimately finished 82-80, four games outside of the AL playoffs, letting the division rival Detroit Tigers overtake them for a postseason bid.

As of August 10, Minnesota held a 10-game lead over Detroit in the standings. But the Tigers went 31-14 from that point on to make the playoffs, while the Twins went 17-30.

During his tenure with the Twins, Minnesota made the postseason four times and won the AL Central Division title in 2019, 2020 and 2023. Levine became Minnesota's GM in November 2016, joining a front office led by Derek Falvey as chief baseball officer.

According to SI.com, Falvey has since been promoted to president of baseball operations and has said he will run the team with the people already in his department, without replacing Levine's position.

Perhaps a clue to Levine's future with the organization: He wasn't mentioned when the team announced manager Rocco Baldelli would return for the 2025 season. Falvey took a leading role in discussing the decision with reporters, with team owners indicating he would continue to run baseball operations.

(However, coaches Rudy Hernandez, David Popkins and Derek Shoman, as well as reserve coach Tony Diaz, were fired.)

Levine was a candidate for the Boston Red Sox's director of baseball operations position last year before Craig Breslow was hired for the job. In 2020, Levine also interviewed the inaugural speech of the Philadelphia Phillies' President of Baseball Operations, which was eventually taken over by Dave Dombrowski.

“The time is right for me to take on my next rewarding professional challenge,” Levine said in the twins’ statement. “I will forever cherish the friendships I have made in the Minnesota Twins organization and throughout Twins territory.”