Twins proprietor Joe Pohlad, grandson of longtime proprietor Carl Pohlad and nephew of successor Jim Pohlad, introduced that his household will start exploring a sale of the group. The Pohlad household has owned the Twins since 1984 — the third-longest tenure of any possession group within the sport behind solely the Steinbrenner household (Yankees) and Jerry Reinsdorf (White Sox).
“For the previous 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been a part of our household’s coronary heart and soul,” Pohlad mentioned on this morning’s press launch. “This group is woven into the material of our lives, and the Twins neighborhood has turn into an extension of our household. The employees, the gamers, and most significantly, you, the followers — everybody who makes up this unbelievable group — is a part of that. We’ve by no means taken frivolously the privilege of being stewards of this franchise. Nonetheless, after months of considerate consideration, our household reached a call this summer time to discover promoting the Twins. As we enter the following section of this course of, the time is correct to make this resolution public.
We really respect and cherish what the Twins imply to Minneapolis, St. Paul, the nice state of Minnesota, and this whole area. Our aim is to be as informative as doable with the group, employees, and also you, the followers. You deserve that, as a result of in so some ways, this group doesn’t belong to anybody household – it belongs to all of you. It’s our goal to search out an possession group who all of us will be happy with and who will deal with the Minnesota Twins.
After 4 many years of dedication, ardour, and numerous recollections, we’re trying towards the longer term with care and intention – for our household, the Twins group, and this neighborhood we love a lot.”
Carl Pohlad bought the Twins franchise from former proprietor Calvin Griffith for a purchase order worth of $44MM again in 1984. Three generations of the household have since spearheaded possession, with the 42-year-old Joe Pohlad being tabbed because the group’s management individual simply two years in the past. It’s unimaginable to know exactly how a lot the Twins may fetch in a sale, but it surely’ll absolutely high $1 billion. The Royals ($1 billion), Marlins ($1.2 billion) and Orioles ($1.725 billion) commanded not less than that a lot of their gross sales inside the previous half decade. Coming into the season, Forbes positioned an estimated $1.46 billion worth on the Twins — a 5 p.c improve over the prior yr.
For a pissed off Twins fanbase, it’s absolutely welcome information. Possession drew the ire of Minnesota followers by slashing $30MM off the payroll on the heels of the group’s first postseason sequence win since 2002 simply this previous offseason. Uncertainty surrounding the tv broadcast rights within the midst of Diamond Sports activities Group’s ongoing chapter proceedings largely fueled that call, but it surely was nonetheless a disheartening trajectory for a fanbase that has lengthy voiced frustration with possession even earlier than that discount in finances.
The Twins have lengthy resided within the backside half and often the underside third of Main League Baseball by way of participant payroll. Followers had been bought hope that the development of Goal Discipline, which opened in 2010, would increase spending capability. It’s technically true that the group’s payroll has risen, however solely relative to their prior spending ranges and never relative to the remainder of the league. The Twins haven’t ranked within the high half of the league in payroll dimension since 2012, and this previous season’s 18th-ranked payroll falls proper in step with the identical ranges they sat on the Metrodome in 2003-09, when their payroll ranked between 18th and twenty fifth within the sport every season (per Cot’s Contracts).
It bears emphasizing that exploring a sale and committing to a sale should not one and the identical. Angels proprietor Arte Moreno and Nationals proprietor Mark Lerner have each explored the potential of promoting their very own golf equipment up to now two to a few years, solely to finally specific a change in route and intent to proceed on because the homeowners of these respective groups. Each of these golf equipment had been bought by present possession way more just lately, nonetheless, and play in a lot bigger markets. That meant loftier sale costs and fewer potential for return on funding than the Pohlad household stands to make in soliciting bids on a small-market membership that was bought 4 many years in the past for a worth smaller than the mixed wage of the Twins’ two most-expensive gamers (Carlos Correa and Pablo Lopez).
For now, the prospect of a sale absolutely instills a way of hope in followers but additionally creates extra questions than solutions. It’s unclear whether or not the Twins are wholly dedicated to promoting or just seeing what the franchise may fetch, neither is it presently identified what worth they’ll search or if there’s any form of deadline after which they’ll cease fielding curiosity. On a smaller scale, it’s tough to glean simply what a sale of the membership may imply for the 2025 roster and payroll. Joe Pohlad had already publicly said that he didn’t anticipate additional discount in payroll, although that was earlier than the sale of the membership was made public.
It’s additionally doable, although removed from sure, that information of the upcoming sale course of prompted now-former basic supervisor Thad Levine — the group’s No. 2 baseball operations government behind president of baseball operations Derek Falvey — to step down and search new alternatives. Levine introduced his departure from the membership simply final week. He didn’t cite a motive for his resolution, however Levine has spoken fondly of the Pohlad household up to now and turned down interview alternatives to interview as a baseball operation chief with different organizations, together with the Mets and Phillies. The Rockies had been additionally linked to him earlier than sticking with an inner identify and elevating scouting director Invoice Schmidt to the GM’s chair. Levine did interview for the Pink Sox’ entrance workplace emptiness one yr in the past, however the Sox in the end employed former Cubs assistant GM Craig Breslow.
