Minnesota Twins senior vice president and general manager Thad Levine will depart the organization to "pursue new challenges and opportunities, both inside and outside of baseball," the club announced in a statement.
"I am grateful to the Pohlad family, Derek Falvey and Dave St. Peter for providing me with such a comprehensive leadership opportunity spanning the last eight years of my career," Levine said in the statement. "The time is right for me to pursue my next enriching, professional challenge. I will forever cherish the friendships that I have made in the Minnesota Twins organization and throughout Twins Territory."
Levine joined the Twins alongside president of baseball operations Derek Falvey back in November 2016, having previously been a high-ranking member of the Texas Rangers front office. The Twins, then fresh off a 103-loss season, have since made the postseason four times. This year would have marked five, but Minnesota suffered an untimely collapse that allowed the Detroit Tigers to leapfrog them late in the summer.
"Thad's impact on the Minnesota Twins cannot be overstated," Falvey said as part of the statement. "He has been a true partner and leader, always striving to elevate the organization and care for the people around him."
It's unclear if Levine intends to pursue another high-ranking executive job immediately or if he'll want to take a season off to regroup and recharge. If he does want another job as soon as possible, however, he should have no shortage of options, given his track record and his reputation around the league.
As it stands, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants are both without general managers. The Mets haven't hired Billy Eppler's successor since he resigned last offseason, while the Giants recently announced that Pete Putila would not continue on in that role after replacing president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi with Buster Posey.
