Neal: Rocco Baldelli is the right person to manage Twins

The timing might have been a little odd, and the knowledge comes during a stretch of bad baseball. But it was learned last week that the Twins picked up the 2026 option year on manager Rocco Baldelli’s contract at some point this season.

That’s a sign that the Twins believe that Baldelli is not what ails this team, so it amounts to a vote of confidence, telling him he is going to be the man running the show in the near future.

I agree with the decision. Baldelli is working with what is given him, a talented team with some underperforming players — is it Rocco’s fault that his $200 million shortstop has a 0.1 WAR?

Baldelli still has the right touch in leading this club. He has won three division titles over his previous six seasons. He has done something right.

His players have not quit on him. They rallied last Sunday before losing 9-8 to Milwaukee. They rallied from a 5-0 deficit on Tuesday against Seattle only to lose 6-5 when Jhoan Duran hit two batters in the toe as he loaded the bases before yielding a sacrifice fly. Then they bounced back to win 2-0 on Wednesday, with the pitching staff stepping up, and then rolled past the Mariners after a long Thursday rain delay.

That shows they are still responding to him.

Baldelli’s approach during this period is to not overreact. He knows what the Twins are capable of and has encouraged them to remember that they were good enough to win 13 consecutive games earlier in the season.

“Almost all the time, you are going to get what you need from all these guys,” Baldelli said. “They’re professionals. I don’t necessarily bring up the standings or where you’re at. But maybe once in a while, it’s not the wrong thing to say to a team.

“I don’t love to have team meetings too often. I’ve always thought that your message can be drowned out if you are approaching a team too often. I’ve talked to our guys a couple times this year.

“Sometimes it’s a little bit of a pump-up job and a little bit of a kick in the butt at the same time. You try to thread that needle.”

Plus, a manager needs his veterans to keep teammates on point. That’s what Carlos Correa — signed for six years at a yearly average salary of $33,333,333 — was doing when he spoke about better preparation for games.

Even with the staff ace Pablo López being injured, the Twins rotation needs to find its form. This is where Baldelli and pitching coach Pete Maki have some work to do. Fixing Bailey Ober is at the top of the list.

“The truth of the matter is we have every opportunity right in front of us right now,” Baldelli said. “And it should be something that keeps you going, keeps you optimistic and keeps your head up.”

Baldelli will sit back and see if his no-panic approach will pay off. The Twins believe he knows what he’s doing, because they picked up his 2026 option.

P.J. Fleck has improved the Gophers football program, but I need to see more. Reaching a bowl game where the winning coach gets mayonnaise dumped on him isn’t enough.

The next step — reaching the expanded college football playoff tier — must be taken.

Having recruiting classes ranked in the top third of the Big Ten conference — like he has — is a good step.

Receiving a commitment from four-star athlete Roman Voss, from Jackson County Central, is Fleck’s latest coup. It’s the third consecutive year Fleck has landed the state’s top recruit. The state isn’t on par with Florida, Texas or California, but top recruits here receive plenty of Power 4 interest.

According to 247 Sports, the Gophers have the sixth-best recruiting class in the Big Ten for 2026. That’s likely to change as classes get finalized but still reflects the roll Fleck has been on.

Stacking good recruiting classes is a start. Blowing winnable games, as the Gophers did against North Carolina and Rutgers last season, has to stop if Fleck is to improve his chances of reaching double digit wins and contending for the postseason.

We are in the midst of a summer of soccer saturation.

Gold Cup action is coming this Sunday to U.S. Bank Stadium when the U.S. men’s national team faces Costa Rica in a quarterfinal game. The American program is under more scrutiny than ever after flopping in two pre-tournament friendlies.

Mauricio Ponchettino — the highest-paid coach in U.S. soccer history — is trying to build momentum with a roster missing several of its regulars. But their absence enabled players like Diego Luna and Malik Tillman to make a case to be on the 2026 World Cup squad.

All of this is a run-up to next year’s World Cup, which also will be held in North America, with the U.S. automatically qualifying because it is one of the hosts.

Soak it up, local soccer fans. It’s worth swinging by U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday when Team USA faces Costa Rica.

• Joe Ryan is one of the top seven starters in the American League. Jhoan Duran is one of the top five relievers. Both will join Byron Buxton on the American League All-Star team.

• Bonus Wolves: They will have the one of the best teams at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. They have a good group of developmental players and Rob Dillingham is expected to participate.