Terry Ryan out as Twins GM after more than 30 years with club
For the second time, Terry Ryan is out as Minnesota Twins general manager — and this time it looks like it’s sticking.
The Twins announced Monday that Ryan had been “relieved of his duties” as executive vice president and general manager, ending a relationship with the team that has lasted decades, including more than 20 years as either the general manager or advisor to the GM.
The Twins, 33-58, have been an utter disappointment this season after being a surprise postseason contender a year ago. That isn’t exactly Ryan’s fault as GM, as the Twins were counting on prospects such as Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano to take big steps forward. In that respect, the firing isn’t just about passing blame for a single disappointing season, it’s the Twins moving on from an entire era of baseball.
From the team’s announcement:
“Since joining our organization as a player in 1972, Terry has been a dedicated, loyal and respected member of the Minnesota Twins family,” Twins owner and CEO Jim Pohlad said. “Terry has been a gifted leader of the baseball department for over eighteen seasons. It is impossible to overstate his contribution to our game, our team and the Upper Midwest baseball community. The decision to part ways with Terry was difficult, painful and not obvious. We are extremely grateful and very thankful to Terry, his wife Karilyn and their family for being a part of the Minnesota Twins.”
“While disappointed we were unable to bring Minnesota a third World Championship, I leave the GM post with immense pride in being part of the Twins organization for the better part of three decades,” said Terry Ryan. “I’m grateful for the leadership opportunities provided by the Pohlad family; the collaboration and talents of my colleagues in the front office; the hard work and dedication of our manager, coaches and clubhouse personnel; the commitment and professionalism of our players; the passion and attention to detail of our minor league staff and scouts; and most importantly, the incredible support of our fans. It’s been an honor to be part of the Twins organization and I wish everyone nothing but the best going forward.”
Ryan originally took over as Twins GM in 1994 and guided the franchise through six straight losing seasons before finding success in the early 2000s with four first-place finishes in five years. He stepped down from his GM position in 2007, after not being able to win a World Series with all those first-place teams, but stayed with the organization as a special adviser to new GM Bill Smith. When Smith was fired was fired after losing 99 games in 2011, the Twins made Ryan the full-time GM once again. Before all that, Ryan worked as a scouting director with the Twins for six seasons in the ’80s and ’90s.
The guy taking over for Ryan has been there almost as long. Rob Antony is the Twins’ interim GM and he’s been with the club since 1987 when he was a college intern in the PR department. Other teams around baseball have taken to hiring young, often Ivy League-educated GMs when it came time to pump new blood into the front office. This isn’t that exactly.
But since Antony was only given the job an interim role, that could still be coming for the Twins, who Yahoo Sports’ own Jeff Passan says have been operating behind the rest of the baseball industry for years.
No matter what is next, this is a first in the Twin Cities in more than 30 years — a Twins team without Terry Ryan in the front office.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
