The Twins’ stellar first season in their new outdoor stadium ended in 2010 with 94 wins and a record-setting attendance of 3,223,640.
The Twins then finished below .500 in 93 games over the next three seasons, and what was expected to be long-term Target Field magic fell like a rock. The biggest reason for his incompetence these past three seasons was poor pitching.
The panic among owners and the sales department was so great that general manager Terry Ryan felt the need to jump into the free agent market. The Twins signed pitcher Ricky Nolasco, 31, a starter who won 13 games in the National League last season, to a four-year, $48 million contract.
This didn’t work out too well for the Twins, but Ricky no longer had to worry about expenses when he vacationed near the Mediterranean with his friend Giancarlo Stanton.
Nolasco went 15-22 with a 5.44 ERA in two and a half seasons with the Twins. He was traded to the Angels on August 1, 2016, with the Twins acquiring some of the money remaining on his contract.
That’s the cautionary tale that came to mind Friday when current Twins baseball manager Derek Falvey held a press conference under the brightest lights of any clubhouse on the continent.
The main announcement was that Thad Levine, who had been general manager since Falvey took over baseball operations in November 2016, would be leaving the team.
Mr. Falvey spent many words in quick succession explaining Mr. Levine’s resignation, but the bottom line is not unusual in business.
