Paul Molitor fired as manager of Twins

Paul Molitor was fired as manager of the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, though he has an offer to remain with the club in the front office.

"I would like to thank Paul for his tremendous dedication to the Minnesota Twins over his last four years as manager of this club," Twins executive vice president, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said in a release. "Paul's roots here run deep and his commitment to the organization, his staff, and the players are special. I have every hope and desire that he remains a part of this club for many years to come."

According to the release, "Molitor has been offered a position to stay with the organization in a baseball operations capacity and will consider the offer."

Molitor was named American League manager of the year just last season and was fired with two years remaining on his contract. He posted a 305-343 record in four seasons as the skipper in Minnesota.

The Twins finished in second place in the American League Central with a record of 78-84 this season. The Twins were 85-77 last season and lost to the New York Yankees in the AL wild-card game.

Molitor was a Hall of Fame player during 21 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays. He had 3,319 career hits and was a seven-time All-Star.