Rob Antony, Interim GM
Antony was named the interim GM, and he was the assistant before Ryan’s departure, so he would make sense if the team stayed in-house. As he revealed in this interview with the Star Tribune, Antony discussed his lifelong fandom of the Twins. As a guy who has worked in multiple areas of the Twins from media to PR to scouting, Antony does bring a diversity of experiences that most candidates do not. He would also fit the reported desire of the Twins to find a GM that is “young”, as he’s 51, which would put him at the younger end of GMs in the league.
Mike Radcliff, VP of Player Personnel
When MLB Trade Rumors asked around the league for guys that should be considered for GM positions, his peers identified Radcliff as one of those guys. Radcliff, like Antony, joined the Twins in their World Series winning season of 1987 and has been with the team ever since, holding the position of scouting director for many years before taking his current position. Radcliff was pursued by Baltimore in 2011 before the Twins declined permission for him to be interviewed. This may be that opportunity for him.
Brad Steil, Director of Minor League Operations
Steil has been in more of an administrative role in his current position, and he’s been with the Twins since 2001, so he’s been a part of the good and the bad. He’s been in his current role since 2012, so this would be a fairly quick promotion in comparison to the other guys mentioned who have been with the organization for much longer, but he has worked on the administrative side of things and he could end up as a paired option in a situation like many teams run with VP of Baseball Operations along with a General Manager with Steil in the latter role working under someone who has more experience in the operations role.
Deron Johnson, Scouting Director
Last, but definitely not least is probably the brightest shining star in the Twins organization. He was hired by the Twins in 1994 after a brief minor league career, the son of hard-working parents who instilled a tremendous work ethic in him. Johnson has worked his way up the Twins ladder from area scout to cross checker to his current role, which he took over in 2007. Johnson is well-known to many due to his role as one of the few African-Americans in a major front office role, even more so in the scouting side of the game. He is an extremely likable guy, and his article in MLB.com got a good chunk of attention when it was released, yet he’s stayed with the Twins since, so the Twins should lock him down before another team comes calling.
We’ll look outside the organization next…
Next: External Candidates