Barely a day after their 2026 season ended, the Minnesota Twins dropped the hammer. Pitching coach Pete Maki and assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez are both out, according to multiple reports. The reason? Simple: their team ERA of 4.56 was the third-worst in the American League this season. You can’t sugarcoat that stat.
The Steep Decline in Pitching Performance
Talk about a nosedive! During the four seasons Maki and Ramirez oversaw the pitching staff, the Twins’ team ERA ranking plummeted from a respectable sixth in MLB (3.87 ERA) to a dismal 25th (4.56 ERA) this season. That’s a painful slide: 6th, 21st, 23rd, then 25th. When your numbers consistently get worse every single year, a change is absolutely coming. It had to happen.
FIP, Trades, and the Hard Realities
Even the Twins’ preferred metric, Fielding Independent Pitching, tells a grim story. Their starting rotation’s FIP tanked from second in MLB at 3.73 in 2023 to a shocking 16th at 4.21 this season. Sure, the front office did deal away six pitchers before the 2025 trade deadline, including closer Johan Duran and starter Chris Paddack, plus relievers like Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, Danny Coulombe, and Louis Varland. That’s a hit, no doubt. But the consistent freefall in both ERA and FIP demanded accountability from the pitching staff’s leadership. Both Maki and Ramirez, who became major league coaches in 2022 and were even retained from the previous staff when Derek Shelton took over as manager for 2026, ultimately couldn’t turn it around. Three other coaches from that transition stayed, but for pitching, it was a hard no.
So, the Twins have some serious rebuilding ahead for their pitching staff next season. For us here in the Emerald City, our Mariners are showing us how it’s done! We just saw them snatch a solid 7-3 victory against the Los Angeles Angels. That’s the winning momentum we love to see from our squad! Keep it up, M’s!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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