Sale of the Minnesota Twins Franchise Reportedly Trending Toward Completion

[Nick Nelson]

The process appears to be moving faster than expected, with a recent report suggesting that new ownership could be in place by the start of the 2025 season, now less than three months away.

For Twins fans, this seems like great news.

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When the revelation surfaced last October that the Pohlad family was actively exploring a sale of the Minnesota Twins franchise they've owned for over 40 years, it came as music to the ears of frustrated fans. But the news also came with a caveat: don't expect things to necessarily move quickly. Historically the high-stakes process of selling a pro sports team has often been slow and methodical, stretching out over multiple years and in many cases failing to come to fruition.

In the case of the Twins, there were an added number of complications at play, ranging from the attractiveness of the market to the morale of the fanbase to future uncertainty around TV revenue. In spite of these factors, it sounds like momentum is building toward completion of a sale in the near future.

Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported earlier this week, via industry sources, that the club has a "robust market" and that there's a belief the Twins could be sold by Opening Day. That date falls on March 27th — exactly 11 weeks from now. It's still a decent length of time but it's quicker than most anticipated and suggests that there is little doubt a deal will be reached resulting in a Pohlad family exit.

"MLB has already begun to vet potential owners," writes Hayes, "and will take a deeper look at stronger candidates as the transaction nears a close."

In December, reports emerged that Suns minority owner Justin Ishbia was among those interested in buying the Twins, with his fellow billionaire brother Mat likely factoring into an ownership group. Presumably Ishbia is among the finalists whose legitimate interest and capability is helping fuel confidence in a somewhat imminent conclusion to this saga. Based on the limited information we have, he would have to be considered the favorite. 

"The industry source briefed on their plans said the Ishbia brothers are very interested in purchasing the Twins and have held several meetings with local leaders," Hayes shared in his latest. When the Ishbia rumors began to gain steam, our Tom Froemming shared his thoughts about what such an ownership transition might mean for the franchise and its fans:

For Twins fans, it's hard to feel anything but immense optimism about this developing story. The franchise has fallen into a major rut since the high point we all experienced in 2023; there has not been one single particularly significant addition or exciting move made since the postseason exit as the front office has been directed the shed payroll and lay low. 

The dampened fan morale has been reflected in just about every indicator across the board. Attendance was down last year, viewership was down, and in 2024 Twins Daily experienced a year-over-year drop in traffic for the first time in its history. People are checked out, and they need a reason to check back in. A change in ownership could provide exactly that. Given the seemingly active and aggressive buyer market, it's hard to believe a new regime would not come in looking to shake things up with a positive statement and increased payroll investment.

Hayes reports that his source "believes it will be a complete sale of the Twins with an immediate takeover in control," unlike the prolonged three-stage process that was planned for the neighboring Timberwolves (which is now in doubt). 

While it's probably too late to hope for a major change in the spending outlook for the 2025 season, and the kind of late-breaking impact additions that could entail this offseason, a sale being completed by the end of March would set the stage for a near-term shift in spending philosophy, perhaps with flexibility to add salary during the season (which they clearly lacked last year), and certainly beyond.

What are your reactions to this report and the potential for a changing of the guard before the regular season gets underway? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments.

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[Blyleven2011]

Hook line and sinker , I agree ...

[Mark G]

I can't help but be a little apprehensive about out of town buyers swooping in and picking up the franchise.  What guarantee do we have that they will keep the team here?  Not saying it will happen in my lifetime, but it does give me pause.  I was hoping for some home town folks to come to the ball (pun intended).

I, for one, will stay tuned to this channel.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I'm not expecting this to impact anything this offseason. And that's ok.

This could bring for a VERY exciting trade deadline though, right? At least that would be my hope.

[BobAzar]

5 minutes ago, Mark G said:

I can't help but be a little apprehensive about out of town buyers swooping in and picking up the franchise.  What guarantee do we have that they will keep the team here?  Not saying it will happen in my lifetime, but it does give me pause.  I was hoping for some home town folks to come to the ball (pun intended).

I, for one, will stay tuned to this channel.

The MBA just extended the Target Field lease. so moving the team would be very hard (not impossible). I mean the lease on the metrodome was the reason contraction wasnt allowed in 2001. 

[LambchoP]

If this sale goes through, then the team needs to play well. If they are competitive at the trade deadline, maybe we would actually have money to be able to add to the team unlike last year. You'd think new owners would want to make a statement and get fans back on their side next off-season. Vlad might be a pipe dream, but a couple decent signings would go a long way towards repairing the hate and distrust of past cheap ownership.

[Riverbrian]

I will wait and see if new ownership indeed moves the team upward into a higher spending range. 

There could be a honeymoon introductory uptick but sustained spending in a higher range? 

I'll wait and see. 

The last sale was Baltimore. The Orioles have made some moves. Payroll has risen but it's not like they've blown the roof off the place in support of all that young talent they have. 

Payroll still seems Baltimore-esque to me. 

 

[Swimbo]

The two things I worry about are exactly what others have said, the new owners may eventually want to move the team and or the new owners are no different than what the Pohlads have given us. 

 

The new owners may not even be the Ishbia brothers, but I will gladly take a chance on a new owner to at least change things up.

 

The disconnect between the Pohlads and the fans has created a Twins team that has not generated any excitement since the the playoff run. Non diehard fans haven't thought about the Twins much since. 

[Unwinder]

12 minutes ago, Mark G said:

I can't help but be a little apprehensive about out of town buyers swooping in and picking up the franchise.  What guarantee do we have that they will keep the team here?  Not saying it will happen in my lifetime, but it does give me pause.  I was hoping for some home town folks to come to the ball (pun intended).

I, for one, will stay tuned to this channel.

I think the biggest indication that they want to keep the team here is that the White Sox are for sale too, and they'd be a lot easier to move.

[CRF]

If this is true...how is it even possible? It would have to be record time for the sale of a sports franchise. There had to be a lot more going on behind the scenes than we've been led to believe. 

[Doctor Gast]

I am overjoyed! There shouldn't be any doubt that the Ishbia bros. are the ones. If there are others the bros. are looking for local minority partners to keep it local. The original 1.2 billion estimate for the Twins difference from the actual 1.7 billion that the Pohlads will receive to avoid complications, is half a billion dollars. Pohlads paid $44M for the Twins, that's less than what some MLB players get per year now. That's well over $1B profit, don't you think the Pohlads could afford to forego any overbudget cost they constituted (maybe $10M)? Let's stop the "we have to trade a Correa, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Castro or Vazquez" talk. Let the bros decide how to run the team.

BTW, who'll be responsible for this year's salary? Isn't it the bros?

[gman]

I think we've seen that payroll needs to start in the $150-160 range to push to and stay at the top of the division. But to move to the top of the AL that salary will need to move towards $200 and higher as the younger players start accumulating more service time (and hopefully better careers). They will need more payroll room if they look to acquire all-star caliber players with proven tract records.

[chpettit19]

While having new ownership come in before the offseason, or at the beginning, to allow for some spending and splashes would've been preferable, getting them in by, or around, opening day sets up pretty decent as well. Sets up a pretty natural top to bottom assessment period for whoever the new owners are (Ishbia brothers or anyone else). From Falvey down through the roster and entire coaching staff and minor leagues. 

Miranda, Larnach, Wallner, Lewis, Buxton, Correa, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, all of them. There are questions from health to talent to consistency to contracts already handed out to arbitration raises all over the major league roster. 

Falvey has updated the organization in terms of technology and processes to match the modern game. I don't know how anyone could argue with that. But we all have our own personal thoughts and opinions on how he's done on drafting, trades, team building strategies, coaching/manager hires, in-game strategies tied to all those things, etc. The new owners are going to have their opinions on these things, too. Then there's Zoll and all the others in both the baseball and business departments that report to Falvey.

That trickles down to thoughts on Rocco and his staff and all the minor league staff. What are the owner's thoughts going to be on all them, starting at the top? 

While I would've preferred the new owners at the start of the offseason (or 20 seasons ago) getting them in here at the start of the season can be nice and give them some time to assess things before the trade deadline and next offseason. Because if they have different plans and are going to move on from Falvey then I don't want Falvey to be the one running the trade deadline. So this is great news and I'm crossing my fingers things turn out this way and we have new people at the very top by, or around, opening day and 2025 can be a top to bottom assessment of the entire Twins organization so we can start a whole new era in 2026.

[chpettit19]

10 minutes ago, CRF said:

If this is true...how is it even possible? It would have to be record time for the sale of a sports franchise. There had to be a lot more going on behind the scenes that we've been led to believe. 

I don't remember the exact dates, but I believe the Orioles announced they were for sale in early January and were sold by opening day last year. I think these days a lot of it is about having your books in order and being realistic about your asking price.

[nicksaviking]

4 hours ago, Mark G said:

I can't help but be a little apprehensive about out of town buyers swooping in and picking up the franchise.  What guarantee do we have that they will keep the team here?  Not saying it will happen in my lifetime, but it does give me pause.  I was hoping for some home town folks to come to the ball (pun intended).

I, for one, will stay tuned to this channel.

New-ish stadium and a top 20 market in the country; MLB won't let them move any time soon.

They need to save the threat of relocation for teams that want a new stadium, and the Twins are 28th in that line currently.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

11 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I am overjoyed! There shouldn't be any doubt that the Ishbia bros. are the ones. If there are others the bros. are looking for local minority partners to keep it local. The original 2.2 billion estimate for the Twins difference from the actual 2.7 billion that the Pohlads will receive to avoid complications, is half a billion dollars. Pohlads paid $44M for the Twins, that's less than what some MLB players get per year now. That's well over $2B profit, don't you think the Pohlads could afford to forego any overbudget cost they constituted (maybe $10M)? Let's stop the "we have to trade a Correa, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Castro or Vazquez" talk. Let the bros decide how to run the team.

I’m not sure I’ve seen an estimate of more than $2 billion for the Twins, but regardless, I do agree with your last point.  Perhaps the imminence of a sale has offset the urgency of shedding salary or trying to stick with a $130 million payroll.  Don’t misunderstand, I still don’t think they will add a bunch, but maybe there is a bit more of a chance that the status quo will remain for the payroll situation.  Maybe that’s part of the reason there hasn’t been a good old fashioned salary dump.  

[Rod Carews Birthday]

5 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't remember the exact dates, but I believe the Orioles announced they were for sale in early January and were sold by opening day last year. I think these days a lot of it is about having your books in order and being realistic about your asking price.

That’s pretty impressive.  Sometimes it takes longer than that just to sell a house!  Let’s hope the Twins are on that same trajectory.

[TheLeviathan]

I'm curious.....if the sale is that close....why isn't there more information out there about other buyers than the Ishbias?  Or why isn't there more confirmation that they are the ones leading this process?

[FargoFanMan]

It’s been a long time coming to get some new voices at the top. Falvey replacing Dave St. Peter was a huge step in the right direction. The dropping of the ball on the whole TV situation really hamstrung this franchise coming off the playoff run. I know they were probably pressured by MLB but it shouldn’t have come to that point. I’m of the understanding that with all the people employed in the franchise nobody seen this death of cable coming and the incoming of streaming? Sure, you wouldn’t have had that easy $40M cable deal coming in but surely something could’ve been done or put in place to transition that deal better. Sadly, it will be DSP’s legacy marker as Twins President. When the Twins cleaned house in 2016-2017 they forgot one room. Upper management. Now with Falvey replacing DSP hopefully that room is finally getting cleaned.

[Vanimal46]

Life after the Pohlads can not begin soon enough! And the unprecedented Timberwolves ownership transition won’t be attempted again in US professional sports. Not after this disastrous outcome between Lore/A-Rod and Taylor. 

[bean5302]

42 minutes ago, Mark G said:

...What guarantee do we have that they will keep the team here?  Not saying it will happen in my lifetime, but it does give me pause...

If you're concerned about impacts of the sale of a sports franchise after you die, I either really do not want your level of anxiety or I totally want your life soooooo bad. I haven't had a single tiny iota of concern free to dedicate to where the Twins play after I die, LOL.

1) If the Pohlad family remained owners, they could potentially move the team after 2040. Just like John Fisher is moving the Athletics.
2) An ironclad, legally binding agreement compel the Twins to play their games at Target Field until 2040 regardless of who owns them.

[Parfigliano]

29 minutes ago, Unwinder said:

I think the biggest indication that they want to keep the team here is that the White Sox are for sale too, and they'd be a lot easier to move.

Smart to not want to get involved with the ChiSox.

[bean5302]

Just now, Vanimal46 said:

Life after the Pohlads can not begin soon enough! And the unprecedented Timberwolves ownership transition won’t be attempted again in US professional sports. Not after this disastrous outcome between Lore/A-Rod and Taylor. 

You got that right. No prospective buyer is going to be willing to drag out the purchase process. Glen Taylor set that sale up perfect. He thought they might have a core which could be successful and he was right. They went deep into the playoffs, the franchise skyrocketed in value and Taylor tried to back out.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

8 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I'm curious.....if the sale is that close....why isn't there more information out there about other buyers than the Ishbias?  Or why isn't there more confirmation that they are the ones leading this process?

I suspect that there are all sorts of NDA’s being signed by people who are looking seriously at buying the team so they can’t disclose internal Twins information.  That may also go the other direction a bit in that buyers may not necessarily want the world to know that they are in the market or that they are actively pursuing a team — either to reduce potential competition or for other reasons concerning their other business interests.  My guess is that the Ishbia brothers leaked that information themselves, as they are really interested in buying the Twins and they actually want to advertise that fact.  Other buyers may want to or need to be discreet for their own reasons.  The article in The Athletic indicates that MLB is already doing some vetting of potential new owners. If that is accurate, this thing is moving along nicely.  

[Parfigliano]

30 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I am overjoyed! There shouldn't be any doubt that the Ishbia bros. are the ones. If there are others the bros. are looking for local minority partners to keep it local. The original 2.2 billion estimate for the Twins difference from the actual 2.7 billion that the Pohlads will receive to avoid complications, is half a billion dollars. Pohlads paid $44M for the Twins, that's less than what some MLB players get per year now. That's well over $2B profit, don't you think the Pohlads could afford to forego any overbudget cost they constituted (maybe $10M)? Let's stop the "we have to trade a Correa, Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Castro or Vazquez" talk. Let the bros decide how to run the team.

BTW, who'll be responsible for this year's salary? Isn't it the bros?

I'm OK with continuing the trade Vazquez talk and or actions.

[Twins GFP]

If this is true, and a sale of the team is relatively close, I will be willing to give the team a small mulligan for this offseason and possibly this entire season. This transition is the main reason why this team is stuck in the mud, unwilling to raise payroll or seek a complete rebuild.

Fan friendly or not, a sale means the Twins can actually move forward. 

[FargoFanMan]

10 minutes ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

I’m not sure I’ve seen an estimate of more than $2 billion for the Twins, but regardless, I do agree with your last point.  Perhaps the imminence of a sale has offset the urgency of shedding salary or trying to stick with a $130 million payroll.  Don’t misunderstand, I still don’t think they will add a bunch, but maybe there is a bit more of a chance that the status quo will remain for the payroll situation.  Maybe that’s part of the reason there hasn’t been a good old fashioned salary dump.  

Even if they can consistently stay middle of the pack as far as payroll like where they were 2 years ago that’s all I want. Just the ability to sign your young guys and a bigger name every 4-6 years instead of having to turn over a new roster is key. Having the ability to supplant a roster with 1-2 guys every offseason and not be completely hamstrung at the trade deadline will help immensely. They’ll never be the Yankees or dodgers but they can beat those teams consistently by simply not being the A’s as far as payrolls go. I think that’s all anybody really wants.

[Hubie29]

The excitement and return of the fan base won't happen until we get new owners. We've been dealing with a glorified minor league team for years with the Pohlads. Simple, people are finding other things to do, and other things to spend their money on. Little or no effort from the owners equals little or no dedication from the fans. Myself included. 

[hitterscount]

This sale cannot happen fast enough. You really dont need to have a massive increase in the payroll to make the current roster favorites to win the division, but the cheapass owners putting on a self imposed spending limit has pretty much left last years sore taste to remain in our mouths with no hope of getting it out.

[nicksaviking]

33 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

I'm curious.....if the sale is that close....why isn't there more information out there about other buyers than the Ishbias?  Or why isn't there more confirmation that they are the ones leading this process?

I'm sure billionaires are good at keeping things quiet when it benefits them. And of course good about leaking stuff when that benefits them as well.

Really, I think we were in the dark and they've been readying for this sale for an entire year. I'd bet good money that the 'right-sizing' payroll freeze last offseason was a reaction to the Pohlad's decision to sell, we just didn't know about it then.