Cory Provus Thinks Season Finale Might Be Byron Buxton’s Last As A Twin

[tony&rodney]

8 minutes ago, saviking said:

Ik notnl promoting it but can you imagine the package Buxton, Lopes and Ryan could bring back. Young players with a lot of cheap service years. 

So if you think we are in position to win a world series within the next 2 years dont do it ... I guess what Im saying is with low revenue, a cheap owner we are between a rock and a hard place. 

We fans are certainly in a tough place. The Minnesota Twins Baseball Club is worth more than a billion dollars. There are a ton of options for the organization. I keep going back to whether the people who make the decisions have sufficient talent and skill to put into place the series of moves needed to improve the outlook for the team in the future. Do they? We will find out just as we witnessed how well-run the franchise was this year.

[EGFTShaw]

Here's my RANT.

Give me the $1.7B and eliminate the current owners, and this team can be perennial playoff team and WS contender.

They do draft well and have been developing pitching better than they ever have.

Spending money wisely hasn't been this ownership's strong suit, in fact reading that they were willing to contract the team for $250M brings bile up for the depths.

Guarantee if you produce the team, you will get the fans. 

It is NOT the other way around Dearest Pohlads.

I guarantee a WS in 5 years or I will resign.  

While doing it, pay me substantially less than any other owner or top-level MLB guy, but if I win the WS then I collect a jackpot.

The MN Twins fans have been beaten into pessimistic submission.

I grew up in EGF, but before that lived in Hopkins and one of earliest ever memories was a game at the old Metropolitan Stadium, and I am tired of the MN fans being between down because supposedly we can't win in MN because it is a Small Market Team.

F--- That.

Is there risk, absolutely, but there are positives, but the negatives start at OWNERSHIP and are forced down the throats of everyone else while they are told to "Smiles everyone, Smiles".

OK Rant over.

PS - why yes, I am that confident, not arrogant and even though I have had a fantastic career elsewhere, I should have been in the business of building sports teams.

PSS - as a typical MN, I have to apologize for being so confident let alone expressing it.

PPSS - (this is like goodbye at your relatives, even in winter you stand outside the front door for an hour or two), Buxton WANTS to be here.  When was the last time the Twins had a talent, (yes I know he has been hurt), like this who wanted TO STAY.

Happy National Coffee Day everyone

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Why would the other owners give them free money that won't benefit the Twins and MLB interests as a whole? These aren't generous people, they only do anything to benefit themselves. So if the Twins are going to lower payroll even more, wouldn't the other owners say, 'Nope. We're not approving your investors. Deal with your debts like the rest of us do or sell the team.'

Because what happens between the Twins and their investors is something the other owners don't care about. Clearing debt from a franchise so they know it's fiscally viable and could command a higher sell-price? That they do care about. The larger teams will complain about the revenue sharing aspect (they complain about any revenue sharing, so eff them), but there's plenty of teams on the other end of the spectrum that will look at the Twins and see a team doing what they would also do...and one they'll be able to beat for the next few years, while also using them as an example in their next round of CBA negotiations/threats.

The other owners aren't giving up anything by allowing the Twins to sell part of their stake in the team, and the revenue-sharing money the Twins get is what the Twins were going to get, really. They might start to care if the Twins run bottom 5 payrolls for 5 straight seasons or something, but this doesn't impact the other owners much at all. And they really don't want to set any precedents that could open up a team's books any more than they have to.

[chpettit19]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I wouldn't count on the minority owners to do right by the fans.

But in continuing to lower payroll, what I don't understand, and what nobody else has explained, is why MLB would approve these minority owners if the Twins are just going to continue to use their revenue sharing they get from the other billionaires, to pay off their real estate losses, and not re-invest in the team.

Why would the other owners give them free money that won't benefit the Twins and MLB interests as a whole? These aren't generous people, they only do anything to benefit themselves. So if the Twins are going to lower payroll even more, wouldn't the other owners say, 'Nope. We're not approving your investors. Deal with your debts like the rest of us do or sell the team.'

I'm open to understanding a different point of view on this, but I haven't heard one.

Means to an end. Need to get the financials right before they can sell because they aren't worth what the Pohlads are asking/demanding. That's clear from them not selling this go round. The other owners don't want the Pohlads to sell for just whatever they can get, they want them in that 1.7 range to keep the price of franchises where they want it. The Pohlads weren't going to invest in the team anyways so you'd then be sitting on a bad and cheap franchise with owners who want out but can't get out for what anyone involved wants them out at.

Having a team on the market that can't be sold at the market rate is bad for everyone. The other owners don't want that. They won't tell the Pohlads to sell their team, or even put it up for sale publicly again, until they know they can get the right price for it. The new minority owners help that cause. That's why the other owners will happily approve their money.

[nicksaviking]

But no other team is adding a half billion of bad business debt on to their franchises. The Twins selling below market value shouldn't impact future team sales since this is a known anomaly. 

Plus, won't this give other terrible mid-to-low market owners the green light to just do the same thing? Wouldn't the owners want to stop more Bear Sterns style demands for free money or else they'll ruin your economy?

[Mike Sixel]

If I'm Buxton, and the Twins deal both Pedro and Joe, I want out, but MIGHT stay because of MN being a great place to have a family.

If they deal one? Unsure......if his family loves being in MN, I'd want to stay for sure. Great place to have a family.

If they deal neither? I'm taking that as a commitment to winning next year, and stay.

[farmerguychris]

18 hours ago, howeda7 said:

I don't understand this logic that they're going to trade Buxton/Pablo/Ryan? And do what? Have a $50 million payroll?

I think the Pohlads would consider this their absolute dream scenario. Yes.

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

But no other team is adding a half billion of bad business debt on to their franchises. The Twins selling below market value shouldn't impact future team sales since this is a known anomaly. 

Plus, won't this give other terrible mid-to-low market owners the green light to just do the same thing? Wouldn't the owners want to stop more Bear Sterns style demands for free money or else they'll ruin your economy?

They've been allowing it with several other teams for years.  The other others probably view revenue sharing as a cost of doing business in an extraordinarily lucrative business.  You pay the tax for 20 years and your franchise value will increase by a billion dollars independent of whether you win games or lose them, whether you run your business competently or not.   And, like others have said, the other owners probably want to preserve their own ability to go into lose-for-cash mode down the road too.  They like options.

[hitterscount]

I've said this multiple times this year, I cannot understand how a player of Buxton's caliber (when healthy) would want to stick around this organization. He's in the backend of his career, still has value and could play 3-5 years on a team where he gets a shot at a deep playoff run. After the debacle at the trade deadline they signaled they are not serious about winning.

I'll push back, this was not a bad pitching staff. Quality starters and a deep bullpen. After Lopez went on the IR, they struggled for a stretch, but most staffs will have a rough stretch, but usually it steadies. 

The lineup was a joke. Couldn't hit, field run and awful fundamentals and situational awareness. Some of this was on Rocco, some on Falvey. A serious organization would relieve both and get a new GM and manager that emphasize a lineup that could have complimented a strong staff. 

It was great to hear that it's about winning for Buxton. I hope he goes to a team that is committed to that goal as well. Maybe the Brewers would take him. 

[howeda7]

2 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

I think the Pohlads would consider this their absolute dream scenario. Yes.

If that were true they could have done it in 2025. Or 2024. Or 2023. Nothing was stopping them. 

[farmerguychris]

Just now, howeda7 said:

If that were true they could have done it in 2025. Or 2024. Or 2023. Nothing was stopping them. 

I think they were giving Joe the chance to do something - when they saw his efforts were not producing enough money to the bottom line - they went a different direction.

[howeda7]

6 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Yep, exactly.  They'll sit back and let the TV money/revenue sharing roll in.  

This is the plan of teams like the Rockies, Pirates, As, Nats etc.  Being terrible is very profitable in MLB.   

Why didn't they do it years ago then? The TV $$ isn't really "rolling" in and is now more directly impacted by their winning/fan interest than it was before. 

[howeda7]

2 minutes ago, farmerguychris said:

I think they were giving Joe the chance to do something - when they saw his efforts were not producing enough money to the bottom line - they went a different direction.

Who's "they"? Joe is the one who wanted to keep the team and not sell. If they gut the payroll to $70 million in 2026 it will be mostly Joe's doing. I assume the family members who wanted out are the ones selling their shares to new minority owners. 

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

Why didn't they do it years ago then? The TV $$ isn't really "rolling" in and is now more directly impacted by their winning/fan interest than it was before. 

Plans change. I think we are looking at a small payroll next year. 

[farmerguychris]

1 minute ago, howeda7 said:

Who's "they"? Joe is the one who wanted to keep the team and not sell. If they gut the payroll to $70 million in 2026 it will be mostly Joe's doing. I assume the family members who wanted out are the ones selling their shares to new minority owners. 

The board comprised of 7 people with the last name Pohlad and soon 2 new minority investors.

[The Great Hambino]

6 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

If that were true they could have done it in 2025. Or 2024. Or 2023. Nothing was stopping them. 

The Correa contract was stopping them.  They couldn't meaningfully gut the payroll down to those levels without being able to move him.  Once they found they could, they pivoted immediately.

Why did they allow that contract (as well as the Pablo extension) in the first place when they were going to do their right-sizing bit less than a year later?  That's another story, and IMO the biggest single reason we find them in the predicament they are in today.

[howeda7]

4 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Plans change. I think we are looking at a small payroll next year. 

They may not go back up to $140 million but they certainly need to go down any further than the $95-100 million they are at currently. It's possible, but they won't be losing $$ at $100 million and completely torching your fan base right before you might be on strike for a year isn't good for the long-term value of the franchise.

[howeda7]

3 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

The Correa contract was stopping them.  They couldn't meaningfully gut the payroll down to those levels without being able to move him.  Once they found they could, they pivoted immediately.

Why did they allow that contract (as well as the Pablo extension) in the first place when they were going to do their right-sizing bit less than a year later?  That's another story, and IMO the biggest single reason we find them in the predicament they are in today.

They signed Correa after Joe was put in charge. He wanted to go for it. It didn't work. I do agree that some of the family didn't like the extra losses/debt and that's why there was a push to sell. But I assume those most unhappy are the ones getting their $$ out in this deal.

[Mike Sixel]

13 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

They may not go back up to $140 million but they certainly need to go down any further than the $95-100 million they are at currently. It's possible, but they won't be losing $$ at $100 million and completely torching your fan base right before you might be on strike for a year isn't good for the long-term value of the franchise.

I mean, you and I likely agree on this, not sure the Pohlads do. We'll find out!

[LyleCole]

I would be surprised if the Twins did not find a trade for Byron Buxton.  He will be 32 years old for the 2026 season and I cannot see how that fits into the clear rebuilding/payroll slashing plans of the team.  

It would be a trade maximization point too.  Not only is Buxton coming off perhaps the best year of his career, for most teams his $15 million salary plus bonuses is ridiculously low.  

Even with a career year from Buxton the Twins are a 90 game loser.  Next year they might be even worse and attendance is not going to be strong.   A trade of Buxton would require two of a teams absolutely top prospects plus additional compensation.  That would be a reasonable input of talent to a rebuild around Walker Jenkins.  

[RpR]

3 minutes ago, LyleCole said:

I would be surprised if the Twins did not find a trade for Byron Buxton.  

Twins can find what ever they choose; if Buxton says NO, end of discussion.

[tony&rodney]

18 hours ago, LyleCole said:

I would be surprised if the Twins did not find a trade for Byron Buxton.  He will be 32 years old for the 2026 season and I cannot see how that fits into the clear rebuilding/payroll slashing plans of the team.  

It would be a trade maximization point too.  Not only is Buxton coming off perhaps the best year of his career, for most teams his $15 million salary plus bonuses is ridiculously low.  

Even with a career year from Buxton the Twins are a 90 game loser.  Next year they might be even worse and attendance is not going to be strong.   A trade of Buxton would require two of a teams absolutely top prospects plus additional compensation.  That would be a reasonable input of talent to a rebuild around Walker Jenkins.  

We must acknowledge that this entire process is completely in Byron Buxton's hands. It seems unlikely that the Twins will reach .500 next season in their wildest dreams, but it is always possible. As such, Buxton should want to play for a team that has tradition and an opportunity to reach the playoffs. Buxton's window is getting small and he no longer can decide his fate after next season. This is the winter he needs to call his shot. It is in Byron's hands at this time.

The return for Buxton could be substantial but I'm afraid people might be severely disappointed if a trade were to come to fruition. I have no idea what teams would be interested and willing to trade. St. Louis has a historic franchise, can find financial resources to add to the team, and is a low key place to play. Again, no idea of practical basis. The Cardinals have a prospect worth targeting. Of course, so do other teams.

Atlanta is constantly mentioned by people when any trade of Buxton is mentioned. It is a long way from Atlanta to Buxton's home town, Baxley. I can't see that as being necessarily favorable for or to Buxton.

Lastly, there was mention of Buxton loving his family life in Minnesota. I'm under the impression that the Buxton family is back in Baxley, except for the summer. All of the love for Minnesota also must come with the reality that Byron Buxton has his roots, home, and future life firmly in Baxley, Georgia. Maybe there is some information that can correct me. 

[Major League Ready]

On 9/29/2025 at 11:12 AM, EGFTShaw said:

Give me the $1.7B and eliminate the current owners, and this team can be perennial playoff team and WS contender.

I guarantee a WS in 5 years or I will resign.  

While doing it, pay me substantially less than any other owner or top-level MLB guy, but if I win the WS then I collect a jackpot.
 

There are 15 teams in the bottom half of revenue.  Those 15 teams have won the WS exactly once in the past 20 years.  Let's do the math.  That's a total of 300 teams but you are going to equal that output in 5 years.  That's 60X the rate of the other organizations combined.  I am skeptical!

[nicksaviking]

The fact that Provus is predicting a Buxton trade but in his interview didn't predict a Baldelli firing makes me think Provus isn't as in tune to what's happening behind the scenes as we may think.

No players called out Baldelli, but plenty called out the 'culture'. I'm thinking this move may fall into the Buxton Likes column as opposed to the Buxton Dislikes column.

[The Great Hambino]

5 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

The fact that Provus is predicting a Buxton trade but in his interview didn't predict a Baldelli firing makes me think Provus isn't as in tune to what's happening behind the scenes as we may think.

No players called out Baldelli, but plenty called out the 'culture'. I'm thinking this move may fall into the Buxton Likes column as opposed to the Buxton Dislikes column.

Not to mention the high profile whiff Provus had when he assured us that blackouts were a thing of the past in the 2023-24 offseason

[Eric Blonigen]

16 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

There are 15 teams in the bottom half of revenue.  Those 15 teams have won the WS exactly once in the past 20 years.  Let's do the math.  That's a total of 300 teams but you are going to equal that output in 5 years.  That's 60X the rate of the other organizations combined.  I am skeptical!

This.

[nicksaviking]

35 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

Not to mention the high profile whiff Provus had when he assured us that blackouts were a thing of the past in the 2023-24 offseason

Ha, for sure. But to be fair to him, I don't think St. Peter and the Pohlad's knew what they were doing with the TV deal until the last minute.

Nor do they know what they are doing now.

[nicksaviking]

Oh my god.

Falvey: "This off season we invested in, brought in some guys that could really help us. Harrison Bader was a great fit for this club. Danny Coulombe played a really nice role. So did Ty France."

 

[LyleCole]

5 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

We must acknowledge that this entire process is completely in Byron Buxton's hands. It seems unlikely that the Twins will reach .500 next season in their wildest dreams, but it is always possible. As such, Buxton should want to play for a team that has tradition and an opportunity to reach the playoffs. Buxton's window is getting small and he no longer can decide his fate after next season. This is the winter he needs to call his shot. It is in Byron's hands at this time.

The return for Buxton could be substantial but I'm afraid people might be severely disappointed if a trade were to come to fruition. I have no idea what teams would be interested and willing to trade. St. Louis has a historic franchise, can find financial resources to add to the team, and is a low key place to play. Again, no idea of practical basis. The Cardinals have a prospect worth targeting. Of course, so do other teams.

Atlanta is constantly mentioned by people when any trade of Buxton is mentioned. It is a long way from Atlanta to Buxton's home town, Baxley. I can't see that as being necessarily favorable for or to Buxton.

Lastly, there was mention of Buxton loving his family life in Minnesota. I'm under the impression that the Buxton family is back in Baxley, except for the summer. All of the love for Minnesota also must come with the reality that Byron Buxton has his roots, home, and future life firmly in Baxley, Georgia. Maybe there is some information that can correct me. 

Well, the Twins leadership knows their plans better than we do, but I think when Buxton evaluates his baseball future he will see being traded to a contender being more in his interests than his comments to date about not wanting a trade which were mostly designed for public PR consumption than actual plans.

But the dismal showing of the team, the ownership situation, the change in managers, and the strong possibility that this team will just be going through the motions in front of sparse home field crowds will change what Buxton's real interests are in staying in MN.  

For the Twins, this is a huge opportunity to sell high on Buxton.  He not only is a good player but his contract is very manageable by a team whose ownership actually invests in the players of the team and wants to win.

But, then, I am not sure if the Twins management sees the world in realistic terms and I would not doubt we see another pretender on the field next season destined to lose 85-95 games.  

 

[LyleCole]

On 9/29/2025 at 7:58 PM, RpR said:

Twins can find what ever they choose; if Buxton says NO, end of discussion.

I think the chance of going to a team that is a real contender will outweigh any connection to MN.  And, the trade value of Buxton will most likely never be higher than in this offseason.  

That is a double witching hour set up for a trade.