Thad Levine is reportedly ‘no longer in the mix’ for Phillies president of baseball operations job

On Friday morning, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that Minnesota Twins general manager Thad Levine is “a significant player” in the Phillies’ search for a new president of baseball operations. LaVelle E. Neal III, who covers the Twins for the Star Tribune, later confirmed his candidacy for the job.

Just a few hours later, Jon Heyman of RADIO.COM reported that Levine was “no longer in the mix” for the job, citing his preference to stay in Minnesota and help rebuild a winner.

Levine’s desire to stay in Minnesota was mentioned in Neal’s report. The Twins reportedly granted the Phillies permission to speak with Levine after Philadelphia made the request two weeks ago. Team president Andy MacPhail, who was hired to be the Twins’ general manager in 1985, initiated contact between the two sides. Levine was ultimately convinced to speak with managing partner John Middleton, per Neal.

It’s unclear whether the Phillies and Levine met for a formal interview. Earlier this offseason, Phillies Nation listed Levine as a potential candidate for the Phillies’ president of baseball operations job.

Since Levine arrived in Minnesota in 2016, the Twins have made the playoffs three times and won two division titles with a mix of homegrown talent and veteran free-agent acquisitions. They have yet to snap their playoff losing streak, which dates back to 2004. It appears Levine prefers to keep his family in the Minneapolis area and work under Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey to rid the organization of its postseason futility.

For now, it seems as if former Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill and Dodgers senior vice president Josh Byrnes are the top known candidates for the job. Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported that both Hill and Byrnes have received second interviews.

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