Twins’ GM Thad Levine appears to be serious candidate for Phillies’ front office vacancy

There was some smoke, and now we may be starting to see the emergence of fire.

Last month, Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark of The Athletic reported that the Minnesota Twins believed that the Philadelphia Phillies would ask permission to interview their current general manager, Thad Levine, for the president of baseball operations position in Philly.

Now, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reports that Levine is “a significant player in the search for the Phillies’ head of baseball operations job.”

Levine, 49, has been the general manager in Minnesota since November of 2016. With a mix of home-grown talents and external additions, the Twins have become a power in the American League Central, winning the division in consecutive seasons.

It is interesting that the Twins have seemingly allowed Levine to move forward and interview for this position in Philadelphia. Traditionally, teams have allowed executives to interview for promotions within other organizations, although there’s no steadfast rule that they have to do that. Levine is signed to be the general manager in Minnesota through 2024, an extension he agreed to just over a year ago.

Levine went to undergrad and played baseball at Haverford college, so he does have some ties to the area. More important may be that both current Phillies’ president Andy MacPhail and special assignment scout Terry Ryan have held high-ranking positions within the Twins’ organization. Theoretically, then, they have connections within the Twins – Ryan especially – that have given them very strong recommendations on Levine’s resume.

Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports that Josh Brynes and Michael Hill are meeting with the Phillies for a second time regarding the president of baseball operations vacancy.

Sherman’s report leads you to believe Levine is right in that mix, though he hasn’t been confirmed as having interviewed with the Phillies once, let alone twice.

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