Game-Changer: Pohlad Family Announces They Will Explore Selling Twins

[Matthew Trueblood]

In news that will hit many Twins fans as welcome (but which introduces an ocean of uncertainty for the future), the Pohlad family announced Thursday that they will explore a sale of the team, paving the way for change.

Image courtesy of © David Berding-Imagn Images

No team has been more antonymous with change over the last four decades than the Twins. The Pohlad family has presided over a long period of conservative stewardship, in which changes in the front office, the field staff, and even the roster tended to come more slowly than almost anywhere else in the league. Out of nowhere, today, the chances of enormous and fairly imminent change loomed up over Twins fans in an exhilaratingly unfamiliar way. Phil Miller of the Star-Tribune was first with the news.

It's too early to make definitive statements about this. If, as Joe Pohlad said in his statement, the family arrived at the decision to explore a sale this summer, this could move fairly quickly, but the owners of both the Angels and the Nationals have announced intentions to sell in the last few years, only to close up shop and hold onto their clubs, after all.

Should this come to fruition, though, it will be a radical change, at a moment when such a thing is precisely what the fan base craves. Over the last few years, the relationship between the team and its fans has become tangibly strained, and last year's decision to scale back payroll after the most exciting season in over a decade snapped one or two strands of connection for good. If this was under consideration, though, it certainly explains that choice to some extent. Keeping relatively clean books is a common tactical choice for owners eyeing a sale. It tends to read well to prospective buyers and inflate the asking price.

This probably doesn't come with immediate changes in tack or spending expectation for the team, but it rocks the world of Minnesota baseball. Over the next several weeks and months, it will be a background story, but it could well be the most important one in years for this team. Most Twins fans have only a fuzzy memory of life before the Pohlads bought the club, or none at all. The culture of this organization has been persistently different from that of most others around baseball, and that might soon change, for the first time in decades--for better and for worse.

Without a doubt, a sale would net a massive profit for the family, who bought the team for roughly $40 million. They won't sell for less than $1.5 billion now, and that number could easily reach $2 billion. Target Field is a relatively new, well-kept and beloved park. No prospective owner will have interest in moving the team in the near term. They might, however, run things very differently. It's impossible to predict what that will look like. That doesn't mean some fans won't spend the next few months daydreaming, though.

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[ashbury]

"Be careful what you wish for."  People have been saying we'll be better off under different ownership.  What if new ownership resides in Nashville, Tennessee, for instance?  Or consists of a consortium of investors who find themselves with cash-flow problems next time there is an economic downturn?

[Patzky]

Suddenly the off-season becomes a whole lot more .. eh, interesting. 

[Vanimal46]

2 minutes ago, ashbury said:

"Be careful what you wish for."  People have been saying we'll be better off under different ownership.  What if new ownership resides in Nashville, Tennessee, for instance?

The Target Field lease has a non-relocation clause until 2040. They’re not going anywhere anytime soon even with new owners. 

[snellman]

As Gleeman and the Geek talked about recently, it is time to pool our money together! 🤣

[Jocko87]

For everyone railing on them the last two years, blah blah blah can't afford it just sell it. 

The last two years were that process.  

The books are in order now.  Right sized if you will. 

[NYCTK]

This is WAY better than the Twins getting into the playoffs. 

I had previously declared I was likely out as a Twins fan because the entire organization was rotten due to its terrible ownership. Well, now the Twins have the chance to completely change the culture of the organization, one that actually cares about winning. 

Lets f*cking go! 

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, ashbury said:

"Be careful what you wish for."  People have been saying we'll be better off under different ownership.  What if new ownership resides in Nashville, Tennessee, for instance?

Stockholm Syndrome in full effect. People were saying this exact same thing about Zygi and now everyone loves him.  

[nicksaviking]

3 minutes ago, ashbury said:

"Be careful what you wish for."  People have been saying we'll be better off under different ownership.  What if new ownership resides in Nashville, Tennessee, for instance?

Even if they don't move the team, the new owners won't have decades of equity to profit from either. I don't care for the Pohalds any more than the rest of Twins nation, but thinking we'll get owners who'll increase the payroll is probably extremely wishful. There are more 'bad' owners than 'good'. And the 'good' owners lately only seem to buy the big market teams. 

[Dave Overlund]

5 minutes ago, ashbury said:

"Be careful what you wish for."  People have been saying we'll be better off under different ownership.  What if new ownership resides in Nashville, Tennessee, for instance?  Or consists of a consortium of investors who find themselves with cash-flow problems next time there is an economic downturn?

If there was a city ready for a team to relocate, the A's would already be on their way. Instead, they are going to play in a minor league park on artificial turf this season in Sacramento. 

The Twins aren't going anywhere. 

[nicksaviking]

Just now, NYCTK said:

Stockholm Syndrome in full effect. People were saying this exact same thing about Zygi and now everyone loves him.  

Ziggy has full revenue sharing and salary caps and floors. He couldn't pocket half of the payroll if he wanted to.

[Vanimal46]

1 minute ago, nicksaviking said:

There are more 'bad' owners than 'good'. And the 'good' owners lately only seem to buy the big market teams. 

What small or mid market teams have been for sale in the last decade? There’s only 30 franchises so if a billionaire wants in on the sport, they’ll take whatever is available. 

[ashbury]

6 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

The Target Field lease has a non-relocation clause until 2040. They’re not going anywhere anytime soon even with new owners. 

True. But.

I Am Not A Lawyer, as they say, but with business at this level I view all signed contracts as mere starting points for discussion when someone becomes dissatisfied.

At a smaller scale Correa has a non-trade clause and yet we're discussing trading him, for example.

[gunnarthor]

New owners would be wonderful. **** the Pohlads. 

[Vanimal46]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

I Am Not A Lawyer, as they say, but with business at this level I view all signed contracts as mere starting points for discussion when someone becomes dissatisfied.

At a smaller scale Correa has a non-trade clause and yet we're discussing trading him, for example.

If you want to fear monger about a hypothetical billionaire moving the team, go for it. I’m on cloud 9 with this news

[Jocko87]

1 minute ago, ashbury said:

I Am Not A Lawyer, as they say, but with business at this level I view all signed contracts as mere starting points for discussion when someone becomes dissatisfied.

At a smaller scale Correa has a non-trade clause and yet we're discussing trading him, for example.

This is 100% correct.  It’s not really a lawyer question but a mindset. 

Millionaires work really hard to sign good contracts. Billionaires sign contracts they know they are going to renegotiate.

[ashbury]

1 minute ago, Vanimal46 said:

If you want to fear monger about a hypothetical billionaire moving the team, go for it. I’m on cloud 9 with this news

All billionaires are hypothetical.  Eat the Rich.  😀

[JDubs]

It's like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one! Don't let the door hit you on the way out Pohlads!!

[TheLeviathan]

[Jocko87]

1 minute ago, gunnarthor said:

New owners would be wonderful. **** the Pohlads. 

Not helpful.  They are absolutely an overall positive for this organization.

[nicksaviking]

4 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

What small or mid market teams have been for sale in the last decade? There’s only 30 franchises so if a billionaire wants in on the sport, they’ll take whatever is available. 

I'd really not like to get a Derek Jeter led group like the Marlins got. Which should also be a cautionary tale for anyone hoping A-Rod decides to buy the Twins instead of the TWolves.

[Possumlad]

2 minutes ago, ashbury said:

All billionaires are hypothetical.  Eat the Rich.  😀

had to do a quick double-take to make sure I hadn't opened my Canis Hoopus tab :) 

[NYCTK]

5 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Ziggy has full revenue sharing and salary caps and floors. He couldn't pocket half of the payroll if he wanted to.

He could move the team. That's what everyone was so afraid of when he bought it. Just like people are irrationally afraid of right now. 

This is GREAT news and I'm sorry some people can't celebrate this. We're getting rid of owners that have never cared about baseball.  

Twins can be the Padres. Twins can be the Cardinals. Twins can be the Rockies...uh, scratch that last one. (except they're still a much better organization that the Twins). 

[Ghost of Kirby Puckett]

11 minutes ago, ashbury said:

"Be careful what you wish for."  People have been saying we'll be better off under different ownership.  What if new ownership resides in Nashville, Tennessee, for instance?  Or consists of a consortium of investors who find themselves with cash-flow problems next time there is an economic downturn?

Come on man, you have to know about the iron clad lease. The team literally cannot be moved for 15 years. Fear mongering at its finest. No ownership could possibly be worse than Carl Pohlad and sons. None. Period. This is literally the only move that will move the needle for fans. They could sign Juan Soto this off season and it wouldn't matter one bit because you'd still have an ownership group NOBODY TRUSTS OR LIKES.

[CRF]

Get Bezos or Cuban in here. 

[gman]

Don 't expect any big free agent signings this off season. Also don't expect any trades or payroll investments. This could otherwise be a very quiet off season. I wonder if this was part of why certain management personnel chose too move on. Well now we know what "right sizing" meant.

[SpicyGarvSauce]

This is what winning a World Series feels like.

[nicksaviking]

8 minutes ago, Dave Overlund said:

If there was a city ready for a team to relocate, the A's would already be on their way. Instead, they are going to play in a minor league park on artificial turf this season in Sacramento. 

The Twins aren't going anywhere. 

Agree, I'm not afraid of them moving. 

Except even further down in the payroll rankings. Not saying they absolutely will, but assuming they won't with new owners seems to be looking at this with rose colored glasses.

[NYCTK]

2 minutes ago, gman said:

Don 't expect any big free agent signings this off season. Also don't expect any trades or payroll investments. This could otherwise be a very quiet off season. I wonder if this was part of why certain management personnel chose too move on. Well now we know what "right sizing" meant.

Yeah, could be two years of messy transition.

Look at the Mets. Steve Cohen came in 2021, and tried to do too much without understanding the industry and took until 3 years later until they had a competent baseball organization put together. 

 

[nicksaviking]

2 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

He could move the team. That's what everyone was so afraid of when he bought it. Just like people are irrationally afraid of right now. 

This is GREAT news and I'm sorry some people can't celebrate this. We're getting rid of owners that have never cared about baseball.  

Twins can be the Padres. Twins can be the Cardinals. Twins can be the Rockies...uh, scratch that last one. (except they're still a much better organization that the Twins). 

Yes, I completely agree, but what makes everybody think we'll get owners that do care? Local owners with other local businesses still have a vested interest in trying to keep a good reputation around here, even if it's just a token gesture.

Some hedge fund led group is ONLY going to answer to their investors.