The Pohlad Playbook Has Not Changed in 30 Years

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

If Minnesota Twins fans feel like they've heard this story before, it is because they have. Nearly 30 years separate the current financial messaging from the late 1990s, but the current posture from ownership feels almost identical. The numbers have grown, the league has changed, and revenues have exploded, but the Pohlad family continues to rely on the same explanations and expectations.

In December 1998, Jim Pohlad and Twins president Jerry Bell attempted to justify a dramatic rollback in spending by saying, “We’re open to suggestions.” Those suggestions came alongside the revelation that the Twins would operate on a payroll as low as $10 million for the 1999 season, easily the lowest in Major League Baseball. The Pohlads claimed losses of up to $60 million over the prior five seasons, despite the team carrying a $27-million payroll in 1998. At that time, 10 individual MLB players were earning higher average salaries than the Twins' entire roster.

To be fair, ownership did have a tangible grievance in that era. The Metrodome lease was widely viewed as one of the worst stadium deals in baseball. Revenue streams were limited, premium seating was minimal, and the Twins had little control over key income sources. That poor stadium arrangement was often cited as a primary reason for the team’s financial struggles, and it was not without merit. The economics of baseball in the 1990s were far different, and Minnesota was genuinely operating at a disadvantage compared to teams with modern facilities.

That context, however, came with a darker edge. The Pohlad family did not simply plead poverty. They openly flirted with contraction. The Twins were repeatedly floated as a candidate for elimination, a threat that hung over the fan base and the state. It was leverage then, just as financial distress often feels like leverage now. It might well be that the intention to contract was never real, but the elaborate charade the team and league undertook was proof of their commitment to extracting money and power from the community.

The baseball operations side of the organization leaned into the same logic. Then-general manager Terry Ryan attempted to normalize the payroll gap.

“After this season, everyone could see that the teams that were paying $40 million weren’t doing any better than the teams paying $15 million," he said. "Right now, if you’re at $60 million, you might as well be at $20 million.”

It was a convenient argument, at the dawn of an era that would soon prove spending absolutely mattered.

Fast-forward nearly three decades, and the justifications sound hauntingly familiar. The Twins reportedly accumulated more than $500 million in debt (much of it, whether the family cares to admit it or not, freighted onto the Twins as the Pohlads' commercial real estate investments took huge post-COVID hits) and were put up for sale in late 2024. When a full sale failed to materialize, the team was pulled off the market, and minority shares were sold to multiple investment groups to stabilize finances. Once again, the Pohlad family has suggested that operating the team itself costs more than they make.

That explanation lands far differently in 2026. The Twins now play in a publicly funded, revenue-friendly ballpark that dramatically altered the franchise’s financial outlook. Target Field was supposed to put an end to the Metrodome excuses. There is no bad lease to point to now. There is no outdated facility suppressing revenue. There is no legitimate comparison to the late 1990s environment. Yet, the same talking points persist.

For 2026, the Twins are projected to have a payroll of around $100 million. In today’s MLB landscape, that places them uncomfortably close to the bottom. Eight teams are currently projected lower, and four more are within $5 million and could easily surpass Minnesota before Opening Day. Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Miami all sit below $80 million, and the Twins would likely only join them by trading Pablo López (and his $21-million contract) and further thinning the roster. For a franchise that insists it wants sustained competitiveness, the margin for error remains razor-thin.

Ownership continues to rely on the same narrative it has used for decades. They say (implausibly) that the team is losing money. They say the economics are complex, and that spending must be restrained. If that is truly the case, the solution is obvious: Sell the team. Owning a Major League Baseball franchise is not a civic obligation. Other organizations are making money while fielding competitive teams, year after year. If the Twins are a financial burden rather than a viable business, then it is time for the Pohlad family to step aside. They aren't, of course; that's a lie. If the family is dedicated to that lie, though, they still ought to sell.

For fans searching for hope, it may exist beyond the 2027 season and the potential for another lockout. A reset of baseball’s economic structure could create a more favorable environment and allow the Pohlads to sell the franchise at a price they consider acceptable. That outcome might finally close a chapter that has dragged on far too long.

Until then, Twins fans are left watching the same movie on repeat. The excuses are familiar. The stakes feel lower than contraction, but the frustration is just as real.

---

Is this simply history repeating itself, or is there still a path forward with the current ownership group? Share your thoughts in the comments.

View full article

[Steve J]

Forty. 

[Parfigliano]

The Pohlad's are lazy liars.

[mikelink45]

Yes - it is the Ground Hog Day movie every year.  We will compete, but we have to adjust the budget - DOWN!  We are committed!  To what?

You fans have to sympathize with us.  

Pohlad family $3.8B 2015 America's Richest Families Net Worth

They paid $44 million for the Twins and could have sold them for 1.5 Billion.

We are a small market team - oh woe is us

List of the top 10 wealthiest owners in MLB.

 

1. Steve Cohen (New York Mets): $16 Billion

2. Rogers Communications (Toronto Blue Jays): $11.5 Billion

3. John Malone (Atlanta Braves): $6.6 Billion

4. Lawrence and Paul Dolan (Cleveland Guardians): $4.6 Billion

5. Lerner Family (Washington Nationals): $4.5 Billion

6. Charles Johnson (San Francisco Giants): $4.4 Billion

7. William O. Dewitt Jr. (St. Louis Cardinals): $4 Billion

8. Jim Pohlad (Minnesota Twins): $3.8 Billion

9. Ilitch Family (Detroit Tigers): $3.8 Billion

10. Hal Steinbrenner (New York Yankees): $3.8 Billion

Did I read that right - we are richer than Steinbrenner? 

My tears are welling up, I have to stop.  Poor Pohlads and their small market team!

[Rod Carews Birthday]

While it's obvious that in MLB not all markets are created equal, I find it very difficult to imagine how they could have lost that much money only from their baseball team.  Do I think that they could have lost it in the commercial real estate market?  Sure, but the choice to pin that on the Twins was theirs, not the fault of the gods, the fans, the players, or the management.  

This really is the same playbook, just repeated with different "fill in the blanks" style numbers.  Time for a new playbook and new ownership.  A couple of weeks ago, I stated that I would happily give Tom Pohlad a chance to be a good CEO, provided he came through on changing the narrative.  It's not looking positive so far.  Clock is ticking Tom.  Clock is ticking.  

[bean5302]

I've felt Jim has moved towards the more conservative Carl Pohlad as Jim has aged. Bill Smith extended Morneau, Mauer, Nathan, and Cuddyer all to sizable contracts. As Target Field approached opening day, and for the first years of Target Field, there was definitely a different vibe about things. Yet, rather than capitalizing on the momentum, the Pohlads pulled back. It was never the same again, and while the family opened up the wallet in recent years, the spending quickly got pulled back again at the worst possible time.

[LastOnePicked]

"For fans searching for hope, it may exist beyond the 2027 season and the potential for another lockout. A reset of baseball’s economic structure could create a more favorable environment and allow the Pohlads to sell the franchise at a price they consider acceptable. "

But wouldn't that make it less likely that the Pohlads would sell? I mean, if the revenue streams for mid-market teams like the Twins improves, why wouldn't the Pohlads simply rake in more annual profit all while letting the asset appreciate?

[Sjoski]

44 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

But wouldn't that make it less likely that the Pohlads would sell?

Never follow the road of logic....it usually leads to the highest probably outcome. 

Just ask the Vikings how their 2025 season went.

[TNtwins85]

3 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

Yes - it is the Ground Hog Day movie every year.  We will compete, but we have to adjust the budget - DOWN!  We are committed!  To what?

You fans have to sympathize with us.  

Pohlad family $3.8B 2015 America's Richest Families Net Worth

They paid $44 million for the Twins and could have sold them for 1.5 Billion.

We are a small market team - oh woe is us

List of the top 10 wealthiest owners in MLB.

 

1. Steve Cohen (New York Mets): $16 Billion

2. Rogers Communications (Toronto Blue Jays): $11.5 Billion

3. John Malone (Atlanta Braves): $6.6 Billion

4. Lawrence and Paul Dolan (Cleveland Guardians): $4.6 Billion

5. Lerner Family (Washington Nationals): $4.5 Billion

6. Charles Johnson (San Francisco Giants): $4.4 Billion

7. William O. Dewitt Jr. (St. Louis Cardinals): $4 Billion

8. Jim Pohlad (Minnesota Twins): $3.8 Billion

9. Ilitch Family (Detroit Tigers): $3.8 Billion

10. Hal Steinbrenner (New York Yankees): $3.8 Billion

Did I read that right - we are richer than Steinbrenner? 

My tears are welling up, I have to stop.  Poor Pohlads and their small market team!

“We” are not “richer” than the Yankees. Jim Pohlad and Hal Steinbrenner have the same net worth. Not the Minnesota Twins vs the New York Yankees. The Yankees “brand” as a franchise are valued roughly $8.2B. The Twins “brand” is valued at $1.5B. A lot of different factors go into that. I don’t agree with how they operate this franchise one bit but to simply cherry pick this guy vs that guy is disingenuous as to create a real argument as far as how a team should operate. In 2024 it was reported as the Twins having operating revenue of $292-324M. $50-70M of that being revenue sharing. If that’s the case how does a team operating a $160M or less team payroll possibly lose $500M in the time they did? Poor money management or pushing other debts in the Twins franchise. Basically leveraging their most profitable asset. Plain and simple. If you manage the franchise as the Pohlads families bank the Twins will never be “competitive” in the sense the Dodgers or Yankees are competitive. Has nothing to do with how rich the owner is, a salary floor or salary cap or anything like that. The Twins simply have a family of owners that see the team as a leverageable asset and not the state of Minnesota’s baseball team. That can’t be fixed until a new and more importantly invested in winning owner takes over the team. Until then the Twins will always do Pohladian Twins things. Simple as that.

[sweetmusicviola16]

That old geezer in the photo has one choppy hairdo. Can't he afford a decent barber? 

[palmspringstwinsfan]

The Pohlads are just bad business people-simple as that. The old man made a fortune as a vulture but the family has shown no acumen since then. $44m invested in the S&P in 1984 , with dividends reinvested, would be worth more than $4 billion today. If you can’t beat that running private businesses, including a baseball monolopy in an affluent market, you should get out of business and just be a passive investor. 

[DocBauer]

The only 2 teams in all of MLB that have to open their books are the Jays and the Braves. And IDK if my calculations are exact or not, but TRYING to put semi accurate numbers together, since 2017 the Braves have averaged about $358M in income including the covid seasons. Being part of a Super Station obviously gives them an advantage. 

The Jay's have averaged, with covid and a couple down payroll seasons, about $238M in revenue per season since 2017.

Since 2017, the Twins AVERAGE yearly income through 2023 is $235M.

Are these numbers accurate? Well, unless I messed up my math, or the internet lied to me, the Braves and Jays are publicly known. So for NOW, I'm going to assume the Twins numbers are mostly correct from my brief research.

I have ZERO doubt that covid messed with income for EVERY MLB team in 2020 and 2021. Period. But when MLB's revenue sharing plan basically gives the Twins $100-130M EVERY YEAR so far, and if you spend approximately 50% of your revenue on the ML roster, you should be STARTING with the minimum. 

It just  BLOWS MY MIND that the Pohlad's are so deaf. Deaf to reality and deaf to the public. 

You want to be different Tom? You want to make a difference? And you want to increase the Twins future? I can get on board with not spending  TOO MUCH on FA for 2016. But it appears you've already capped your FO from making a few deals.

You want to make a difference? Then let your FO give a chance.  Right now, you're just another Pohlad pretending to care by suckling off the $B dollar tit that is the Twins. And you and your family think, for some reason that we don't understand what's going on. 

 

[theBOMisthebomb]

The Pohlads are perhaps the worst owners in North American men's professional sports. That's really the baseline. All the other hand wringing about payroll, debt, and lame Pohlad excuses is like spitting into the wind. Forty plus years has proven things won't change. 

I really try to focus on enjoying the games regardless of outcome and enjoying Target Field. 

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, theBOMisthebomb said:

The Pohlads are perhaps the worst owners in North American men's professional sports. That's really the baseline. All the other hand wringing about payroll, debt, and lame Pohlad excuses is like spitting into the wind. Forty plus years has proven things won't change. 

I really try to focus on enjoying the games regardless of outcome and enjoying Target Field. 

Oh yes. Definitely way worse than owners of say the Pirates, etc. The Pohlad family isn't remotely close to the worst. They're not good, either.

[nicksaviking]

2 hours ago, theBOMisthebomb said:

The Pohlads are perhaps the worst owners in North American men's professional sports. That's really the baseline. All the other hand wringing about payroll, debt, and lame Pohlad excuses is like spitting into the wind. Forty plus years has proven things won't change. 

I really try to focus on enjoying the games regardless of outcome and enjoying Target Field. 

They are bad owners, but aren't close to the worst owners. Comments like this diminish every other LEGIT complaint about the state of our team. How could they possibly be the worst owners in all of pro sports when there are about ten teams that average even lower payrolls than the Twins for the past two decades? Several teams have never ONCE had a higher payroll than the Twins in that time.

And that's before considering the NFL, which is full of owners who are literally above the law and openly and unapologetically getting away with fraud, extortion, collusion, anti-trust violations and numerous sexual assaults.

I'm not defending the Pohlad's but we need to stop with this kind of hyperbole if anyone wants the actual grievances to be taken seriously.

[twinsfansd]

As I read through the comments here, I see a great deal of lack of business knowledge. Revenue is not income. Revenue is only what you have before you start deducting expenses. And payroll is far from the only expense of running a team. Just think of the things that come to mind easily. Travel expenses. Adverting. Maintenance and upgrades of the stadium. And don't they have to pay rent on the stadium. They have to pay salaries of upwards of 200 minor leaguers. Plus salaries of major and minor league coaches and scouts and all the travel expenses involved there. There is all the equipment that the players, both in the majors and minors, use every day. There is a very expensive spring training facility to pay for and maintain. And salaries for all the support staff the team has. Have you ever looked at the list of team employees?

You can't just look at revenue and payroll and think you know anything about the profitability of the team.

And I'm going to say it again. I'm sick of all the team bashing on this site. Shame on all these writers that can't think of anything positive to write about. I want to think positvely about my team. I have for well over 50 years that I have been a fan.

GO TWINS!!

[theBOMisthebomb]

44 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

They are bad owners, but aren't close to the worst owners. Comments like this diminish every other LEGIT complaint about the state of our team. How could they possibly be the worst owners in all of pro sports when there are about ten teams that average even lower payrolls than the Twins for the past two decades? Several teams have never ONCE had a higher payroll than the Twins in that time.

And that's before considering the NFL, which is full of owners who are literally above the law and openly and unapologetically getting away with fraud, extortion, collusion, anti-trust violations and numerous sexual assaults.

I'm not defending the Pohlad's but we need to stop with this kind of hyperbole if anyone wants the actual grievances to be taken seriously.

You letting the ownership off the hook is more damaging than categorizing them as possibly the worst owners. 

There was evidence presented that the Pohlads have been running the same scheme related to payroll since the 1990s. If nearly 30 years of the same false narratives doesn't convince you of the damage the Pohlads have caused, I'm not sure what else can. 

I'm not certain why you only use payroll as your basis for judgment. There are other factors to consider. I'm looking big picture. Are you forgetting the past two years with the streaming debacle, the trade deadline of 2025, etc. 

I also look at antecdotal evidence and see friends and family who have supported the Twins for decades (some since the 1960s) saying they are bailing on supporting the Twins, will not renew season ticket packages, and are "done". These aren't passive fans, they are hardcore. Some are refusing to attend games with me in 2026. 

ESPN recently rated Twins fans as most frustrated: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47335875/mlb-2025-10-most-frustrated-fan-bases-red-sox-mets-twins-cardinals

These are signs of a terrible ownership group and legitimate complaints.

Defend the Pohlads all you want. I refuse to. 

[nicksaviking]

3 minutes ago, theBOMisthebomb said:

You letting the ownership off the hook is more damaging than categorizing them as possibly the worst owners. 

 

Defend the Pohlads all you want. I refuse to. 

I did neither of these things, read my post again. I'm simply asking you to debate honestly, not impulsively. 

You arguing that the Pohlads are the worst owners in pro sports is like Spaniards arguing that Francisco Franco was the most evil leader during WWII. No, no he's not. He's awful, but he's not even close, read a newspaper and look at your neighbors.

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, theBOMisthebomb said:

You letting the ownership off the hook is more damaging than categorizing them as possibly the worst owners. 

There was evidence presented that the Pohlads have been running the same scheme related to payroll since the 1990s. If nearly 30 years of the same false narratives doesn't convince you of the damage the Pohlads have caused, I'm not sure what else can. 

I'm not certain why you only use payroll as your basis for judgment. There are other factors to consider. I'm looking big picture. Are you forgetting the past two years with the streaming debacle, the trade deadline of 2025, etc. 

I also look at antecdotal evidence and see friends and family who have supported the Twins for decades (some since the 1960s) saying they are bailing on supporting the Twins, will not renew season ticket packages, and are "done". These aren't passive fans, they are hardcore. Some are refusing to attend games with me in 2026. 

ESPN recently rated Twins fans as most frustrated: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47335875/mlb-2025-10-most-frustrated-fan-bases-red-sox-mets-twins-cardinals

These are signs of a terrible ownership group and legitimate complaints.

Defend the Pohlads all you want. I refuse to. 

Oh really? I've let them off the hook have I? 

What season ticket package did you cancel? I upgraded my season ticket package in 2023 before the payroll cut announcement and paid $10,000 into the Twins in 2024 in terms of a season ticket package and game day expenditures. I canceled for 2025 and haven't picked up for 2026. How about you?

I like realism in my evaluations because it lends credibility and it's easier to support. Making radical statements which are easily chipped away or contradicted like "Pohlads one of the worst owners in sports" when there are plenty of examples of ownership groups who are arguably worse just off the top of my head in MLB alone: more miserly (Guardians-Dolan), less successful (Nutting-Pirates), more predatory on fan bases (Loria-Marlins), more hated by fans (Fisher-Athletics) more misguided while being hands on (Moreno/Angels), more dysfunctional leadership wise (Reinsdorf/White Sox).

The Pohlads are not good owners and I want them gone in favor of potentially better owners, but I'd rather have them than Nutting, Sherman, Morena or Reinsdorf in MLB any day.

[Woof Bronzer]

2 hours ago, theBOMisthebomb said:

 

These are signs of a terrible ownership group and legitimate complaints.

Defend the Pohlads all you want. I refuse to. 

Nobody is defending the Pohlads.  They are terrible.   But there are objectively worse owners in baseball alone.  Pirates and Rockies owners have been actively trying to lose for several years.  And then there is John Fisher who LITERALLY TOOK THE As AWAY FROM OAKLAND. 

Again, the Pohlads are terrible, but they haven't moved the team to Des Moines.

[mnfireman]

How a different (local to me) family runs their business:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/ramstad-here-s-how-the-marvins-keep-the-family-business-in-remotest-minnesota/ar-AA1SJl3S?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=0277694c989d4ca1b0c04c1c75006655&ei=7

[Blyleven2011]

20 hours ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

That old geezer in the photo has one choppy hairdo. Can't he afford a decent barber? 

He's so cheap he does it himself or maybe falvey once considered being a barber he keeps in practice with the pohlad family  ....

[NYCTK]

On 1/6/2026 at 9:05 AM, bean5302 said:

Oh yes. Definitely way worse than owners of say the Pirates, etc. The Pohlad family isn't remotely close to the worst. They're not good, either.

IDK. They are the only owenership group that I know of that literally agreed to murder their franchise for financial gain. 

[NYCTK]

21 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

And then there is John Fisher who LITERALLY TOOK THE As AWAY FROM OAKLAND. 

He could have tried to completely kill the franchise like the Pohlads. John Fisher seems like a slight step above if we're being honest. 

[NYCTK]

21 hours ago, bean5302 said:

"Pohlads one of the worst owners in sports"

This is just undeniable fact. Only someone with a fetish for being publicly humiliated would fight against a claim this weak.