Tigers' Tarik Skubal drama just got some company after rival's weird shake up

The Detroit Tigers suddenly have company when it comes to the drama dwellers in the American League Central. While the Tigers have Tarik Skubal's arbitration mess to sort out, the Minnesota Twins suddenly have a new voice at the top of their front office.

With less than two weeks before the start of spring training, the Twins will have a new president of baseball operations at the helm. The Twins announced on Friday that they are parting ways with Derek Falvey, who was promoted to a president's role just last season.

The Tigers' mess with Skubal is one thing. Sure, it's not ideal that pettiness has crept into the situation ahead of his arbitration hearing, but it doesn't change the outlook of Detroit's 2026 season. It's a season that will start with Skubal at the top of their rotation, and they will be clear contenders in the American League.

Tigers drama no longer stands alone after rival stirs spring training mess

The Twins are taking the drama to a whole other level. Mind you, the Twins have been one of the biggest disappointments in baseball dating back to the 2024 season. They stood pat at the deadline and wound up missing the playoffs. Last year, they took a wrecking ball to their roster that included trading Carlos Correa back to the Houston Astros.

Minnesota fired manager Rocco Baldelli at the end of the season, but for some reason, Falvey survived unscathed. Which makes Friday's decision even odder. He was allowed to hire Baldelli's replacement, and go through the entire offseason as the person with the final say on the team's roster construction.

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll is now at the top of the team's baseball operation, and owner Tom Pohlad stressed that the team plans on contending next season. The easy rebuttal to that claim is that contending teams don't reconstruct their front office on the eve of spring training.

Honestly, it's just nice that it's not the Tigers for once this offseason. The Skubal situation has turned into a circus, but Falvey's exit in Minnesota is a reminder that it could be much worse. Sure, the result of Skubal's arbitration hearing will likely throw the Tigers back into the drama zone, but for this very moment, let's laugh at the Twins.