Why I'm Choosing to Believe in Tom Pohlad This Offseason

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins are heading into an offseason with no shortage of questions, but perhaps none is bigger than the one that has followed this organization for years: How much money will the team spend? That question has become almost impossible to separate from any discussion about the Twins' offseason plans. Fans look at the top of the free-agent class and immediately cross off many names, because they assume the Pohlad family won't pay for them. Every potential trade eventually comes back to salary. Every roster need comes with the question of whether ownership will actually provide the money necessary to address it. That's why Tom Pohlad's comments at Monday's end-of-season press conference were so interesting. He didn't give a specific payroll number, but he was about as direct as a Twins owner has ever been about the organization's willingness to spend.

"The approach we’re going to take this offseason is strictly about what our strategy is, and I have said over and over that a $100 million payroll or anything close to that is not sufficient to be consistently competitive and in the playoffs, and so we intend to take the offseason and meaningfully invest," Pohlad said. "I know everybody in this room wants me to define what 'meaningfully' is, and I understand that that’s a subjective word. But I am confident that Jeremy Zoll, if he has conviction about a move that’s going to improve this roster and help us accomplish our goals, that this ownership group is prepared to support him with the financial resources he needs."

The quote has understandably been divisive among Twins fans. Some fans heard an owner finally saying the things they have wanted to hear for years. Others heard another Pohlad making another promise and immediately thought, "I'll believe it when I see it." Honestly, I understand both reactions. If your immediate response to that quote was skepticism, there is plenty of history behind it.

Tom Pohlad is not the first Pohlad to own the Twins, and that family history is a huge reason why fans have such a difficult time trusting anything the organization says about payroll. Carl Pohlad, Jim Pohlad and Joe Pohlad all had their own versions of the same ownership philosophy, at least in the eyes of many Twins fans. The organization has consistently operated with financial limitations, and fans have repeatedly watched the Twins pass on opportunities to spend at the top of the market. Joe Pohlad's comments following the 2024 season are a perfect example. When asked about payroll in an interview with WCCO, he said, "If we have a winning product, regardless of what our payroll is, I think fans will come out." He also said he wasn't going to get into payroll at that point, while promising the Twins would have a better product the following season. A year earlier, he famously talked about the organization needing to "right-size our business." Those comments fit the perception Twins fans had developed over decades. When a Pohlad talked about payroll, the conversation was either vague or focused on financial restraint.

That's why I can't blame anyone for looking at Tom Pohlad's comments and refusing to believe them. He has the same last name as the people who came before him, and the Twins have spent years giving fans reasons to be skeptical. There's nothing wrong with wanting to see the money actually spent before deciding that this time is different. Talk is cheap, and the Twins have had plenty of it over the years. But I'm going to do something a little different this offseason. I'm going to believe Tom Pohlad.

I'm not suddenly a Pohlad apologist. I've been as critical of the ownership group as anyone, and I'm certainly not willing to declare that Tom Pohlad has already proven he is going to run this organization differently. What I'm willing to do is give him a chance to prove that he is different, because there are some legitimate reasons to think this Pohlad might not simply be a carbon copy of the ones who came before him.

The first reason is the obvious one: Tom Pohlad talks about the Twins very differently than the previous Pohlads did. That doesn't mean words are enough, because they aren't, but the difference is difficult to ignore. Compare Monday's comments to Joe Pohlad's comments following the 2024 season. Joe wouldn't even get into a payroll number. Tom Pohlad volunteered that a $100 million payroll is not enough to consistently compete and make the playoffs. Joe talked about having a better product. Tom talked about "meaningfully invest." Joe talked about the business. Tom talked about giving Zoll the financial resources necessary to make moves he has conviction in.

We've also heard Tom Pohlad say that he is a "go big or go home" guy. We've heard him say that he would invest in the team at the trade deadline if the Twins were in the playoff mix. We've heard him speak much more confidently about what he believes this organization needs to do to compete. Maybe all of that will ultimately amount to nothing, but it's certainly not the same messaging Twins fans have heard from the Pohlad family for the past several decades. This is a Pohlad talking about spending with a level of confidence and specificity that we haven't heard before.

The second reason I'm willing to believe him is that we've already seen Tom Pohlad follow through on one of his promises. Just as the 2026 season began, Pohlad said that if the Twins were in the playoff mix at the time of the trade deadline, he would be aggressive and invest further in the team at that time. When the deadline arrived, the Twins were indeed in the playoff mix, and Pohlad did exactly what he said he would do. The Twins didn't sit on their hands or make a token addition. They were aggressive, adding multiple players and taking on significant money (by Minnesota Twins standards) in the process.

The A.J. Minter trade was the clearest example of that. The Twins took on Minter's full remaining contract, rather than trying to find a way to make the deal work while minimizing their financial commitment. Considering the uncertainty surrounding the Twins at the deadline, when it wasn't exactly clear whether they should be buying or selling, ownership could have easily used that uncertainty as a reason to stay conservative. Instead, Pohlad followed through on what he said he would do and supported one of the more aggressive trade deadlines we've seen from the Twins, both in terms of the players they acquired and the money they were willing to take on. It doesn't prove that everything Pohlad has said will come true, but it does give us one pretty important example of him saying he would invest when the opportunity presented itself, and then actually doing it.

That doesn't erase decades of skepticism toward the Pohlad family, and it shouldn't. But it does give us at least one example of Tom Pohlad saying he would do something and then actually doing it. Up to this point, he really hasn't given Twins fans much evidence that he can't be trusted when he says he is willing to invest. Now he has a full offseason to show whether that continues.

That's why I'm choosing optimism this time around. I'm tired of approaching every Twins offseason by looking at the biggest names in free agency and immediately convincing myself that the Twins won't sign them. I'm tired of looking at a big contract and immediately calculating why ownership won't approve it. I'm tired of telling myself not to get excited about certain players because the Pohlad family will never spend that much anyway. Maybe that pessimism will prove to be correct again, but I'm not going to start the offseason there this time.

Maybe I'll be wrong. Maybe "meaningfully invest" will end up meaning something much smaller than Twins fans hope. Maybe the Twins will make a handful of modest moves and call it an investment. Maybe they'll pursue some of the biggest names in free agency and lose out to teams willing to spend more. If that happens, I'll be right there with everyone else asking why the words didn't match the actions.

But I don't think Tom Pohlad should be judged entirely on what Carl, Jim or Joe Pohlad did. At some point, you have to allow the new guy to show you who he is. Tom Pohlad has talked differently. He has shown some willingness to back up those words. Now he has a full offseason and an opportunity to make his biggest statement yet.

So I'm going to take him at his word. I'm going to believe that "meaningfully invest" actually means meaningful investment. I'm going to believe that a $100 million payroll really isn't enough. I'm going to believe that when Zoll has conviction about a move, ownership will back him up. Maybe I'll regret it, but for once I'm going to enjoy a Twins offseason believing that something bigger might actually be coming.

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What do you think? Are you willing to believe Tom Pohlad, or do you need to see the Twins actually spend before you'll buy what he's selling? Leave a comment below and start the conversation!

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[LastOnePicked]

Hey, if you believe then you believe. Arguing with people about what they believe is like arguing with people about their dreams. It's not real to me, but it's real to you.

But I do think it's important to get the facts straight. You point to Joe Pohlad's comments from 2024. But what about his thoughts from 2023? This is straight from Twins Daily, March 3, 2023:

"Joe Pohlad’s interaction in the team’s baseball operations since returning to the front office in 2018 has not come without experience. He spent time as an assistant in the baseball operations department beginning in 2007. His experience there, which not many owners in Major League Baseball have had, sheds light that he is willing to shed the common trope Twins fans attribute to his family; the “Cheap Pohlads.”

When asked individually at the January 11 press conference if Correa’s re-signing shows critical fans that ownership is committed to building the team for a championship, Joe Pohlad responded, “I hope so. I think how we view it, or at least how I view it, is this the best route for us in order to get to where we want to be, which is a competitive team that can compete for a World Series?. Ultimately, the goal is to win and is every move we make going to add to that and achieve that goal? And this [signing] is gonna do that.”

Isn't this essentially the exact same sentiment as what Tom expressed yesterday? I mean, yes, Joe didn't mention a number like $100M specifically, but he didn't have to - the Twins were already spending well above that. And it's pretty easy to brag about increasing payroll on the eve of a labor dispute that almost certainly will require all teams to spend well above what the Twins are currently spending.

Honestly, I don't even need Tom Pohlad to give a specific number right now. That would be silly at this point. And he could have said that they're going to spend $200M next year and I wouldn't be impressed ... because I'm not convinced they have the right people and the right plan to spend it well.

Until I can see that there's an actual plan in place to build a winner, and until I can see that the Twins are making noticeably smarter moves than their competition, I'm not really interested in a single word ownership has to say. At this point, it's just the buzzing of a housefly.

[MackMan]

I feel as if he is giving Zoll 2027 to make a difference and if he doesn't Zoll is gone and the new GM will be there. At this point, I truly believe Tom wants the Twins to be a successful team. I think he is seeing from other organizations that if you put a quality product on the field AND spend some money to do it, the fans will come. More fans=better profit margins=better product on the field. I think as much as most Twins fans detest the Pohlads, I think Tom is actually trying to help the casual fanbase, while appealing to the Season Ticket Holders. 

I believe that if he's willing to spend and make the changes that are necessary to field a competitive team in 2027, they might have a winning team and potentially some hardware in the future. I mean, heck, if we can get our 3 Rookies (Jenkins, Culpepper, and E-Rod) into some ROY conversations, there is a good chance the Twins see some more fans just because we have exciting and electric players on the field. 

[TheLeviathan]

8 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

Hey, if you believe then you believe. Arguing with people about what they believe is like arguing with people about their dreams. It's not real to me, but it's real to you.

But I do think it's important to get the facts straight. You point to Joe Pohlad's comments from 2024. But what about his thoughts from 2023? This is straight from Twins Daily, March 3, 2023:

"Joe Pohlad’s interaction in the team’s baseball operations since returning to the front office in 2018 has not come without experience. He spent time as an assistant in the baseball operations department beginning in 2007. His experience there, which not many owners in Major League Baseball have had, sheds light that he is willing to shed the common trope Twins fans attribute to his family; the “Cheap Pohlads.”

When asked individually at the January 11 press conference if Correa’s re-signing shows critical fans that ownership is committed to building the team for a championship, Joe Pohlad responded, “I hope so. I think how we view it, or at least how I view it, is this the best route for us in order to get to where we want to be, which is a competitive team that can compete for a World Series?. Ultimately, the goal is to win and is every move we make going to add to that and achieve that goal? And this [signing] is gonna do that.”

Isn't this essentially the exact same sentiment as what Tom expressed yesterday? I mean, yes, Joe didn't mention a number like $100M specifically, but he didn't have to - the Twins were already spending well above that. And it's pretty easy to brag about increasing payroll on the eve of a labor dispute that almost certainly will require all teams to spend well above what the Twins are currently spending.

Honestly, I don't even need Tom Pohlad to give a specific number right now. That would be silly at this point. And he could have said that they're going to spend $200M next year and I wouldn't be impressed ... because I'm not convinced they have the right people and the right plan to spend it well.

Until I can see that there's an actual plan in place to build a winner, and until I can see that the Twins are making noticeably smarter moves than their competition, I'm not really interested in a single word ownership has to say. At this point, it's just the buzzing of a housefly.

I'm glad you pointed this out.  Joe Pohlad gets a lot of heat around here for being a terrible Pohlad (myself amongst them, "right-sizing" was the absolute dumbest thing I've seen this ownership group do in my lifetime after contraction) but people forget that he also green-lit the entire Correa saga and the largest payrolls we have ever seen as fans.  It's not like the team, while under his stewardship, wasn't willing to take big swings.  Hell, they took some really big swings.....then swung the exact opposite direction as well.

The problem isn't the corporate babble itself.  It isn't the specific payroll number itself.  It's the lack of vision this organization has.  The consistent inconsistency.  The half measures.  

I'm glad you believe Mr. Taylor.  I just hope 30 or 40 million spent on the fringes of the roster doesn't buy you off.  The problems run deeper than that.

[bean5302]

It's stupid to believe in Tom Pohlad. He's not your friend. You don't know him. He's a business owner saying business owner things.

I'll judge his actions at this point. It's been a pretty mixed bag so far in my opinion.

The team was not competitive despite assurances they would be. Pohlad stuck with Jeremy Zoll who turned out to be Falvey 2.0. Firing Falvey was huge in my opinion. Such a breath of fresh air, but saying a team is going to be competitive is a promise he had no ability to keep. Further, the Twins did precious little in the months before the season started to change the status quo under Falzoll. We entered the season exactly the same as we would have under Falvey. Hardly a change. Hardly "decisive" in the way Pohlad said he wanted to run the team.

There were obvious passes at the deadline which would have added more value to the team for less prospect resources, but the ownership were tightwads again. Yes. The team put a few million on an already very low budget. Whoopee doo. They should have had at least 3x more capacity. At least. If not 5x more capacity. The deadline represented the absolute bare minimum investment ownership could have possibly made while still claiming to be trying. Hardly "decisive" in choosing a course.

Pohlad has been visibly active during games, running around getting $20 bills for Trevor Plouffe, encouraging fan interaction and saying a lot of the right things. He hasn't been tone deaf. It's a marked improvement over previous Pohlads.

So again. Mixed bag. I wasn't impressed with what happened on the roster before the season started. Unlike a desperate fan base excited over the bare minimum of moves, I wasn't impressed with the deadline decisions. At this point, I'm not impressed with Pohlad's comments on the payroll. He should have come out and said the team has a payroll floor at least.

 

[LastOnePicked]

7 minutes ago, MackMan said:

At this point, I truly believe Tom wants the Twins to be a successful team.

That's a pretty low bar though, isn't it? How many people own businesses that they want to be unsuccessful? I can think of the movie Major League and Mel Brooks' The Producers, but that's about it.

Here's where great journalism could maybe help. The next time Pohlad is doing a session like this, ask him how he believes the two AL Central playoff teams got there this year. What has he learned so far about the pathways to playoff baseball?

My guess is that, even after a full season in the role, he still couldn't answer that question.

[MMBoys93]

Here’s my issues and why I’m skeptical about what “meaningful investment means”

- Last year they cut the scouting dept by 4 people. Teams like the Twins can’t afford to run a lean scouting dept. Milwaukee and Tampa sure don’t run lean scouting departments. Scouting is somewhere I want to see a meaningful investment. 

- There have been other instances as well where they’ve released executives and not rehired because Tom wants to “learn on the job”. Ownership being this involved in a professional team is a giant red flag for consistency. Let the pros do their job. 

- being so short sighted that he bought at the deadline instead of doing the smart thing and recognizing this team was not playoff material. This is more minor for me, but it shows that Tom is way too involved.

- The FA market isn’t strong but there are options where the Twins need help- Catching and Pitching. What do the Twins do with Joe Ryan? They can’t let another top talent walk at free agency, can they? What do they do with their excess of OF talent? I’d like to see some meaningful trades to bring in talent and payroll.
 

- There are routes they could take to meaningfully improve the team next year and the future. Factoring inflation into the equation, there’s no world where anything less than 140m-two years from now will cut it, but my fear is that if Tom continues to be super involved it’ll result in a few years of maybe being a wild card team and then we’ll really have to start worrying about the farm system being unable to keep up. 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Now I will say believe Tom,  he is pretty consistent on following through with what he says but to what extent.  What we can judge him is on what he did and invested in this past offseason.  

When he was announced and throughout the offseason he stated they would be making additions and signing bullpen help.   On Jan 27th he stated "We know that we have to continue to improve the bullpen."  This was after they signed Taylor Rogers to $2 million in a low wattage move.  The only other move that came was a trade for Anthony Banda on February 12th for 500k of international money.   After trading away the bullpen - their answers were a washed up Rogers and trading for Banda after he was placed on waivers by the Dodgers (not good enough to make the Dodgers bullpen but will be one of the Twins key arms).   I was extremely disappointed they didn't sign or trade for 1 high leverage arm.  Overall the bullpen performed above expectations - but thats not saying a lot.  By the  end of the year they were a functional bullpen after some trades but still had some costly blown save opportunities.   

So yes I am coming in extremely skeptical.  

[Twins GFP]

IMO the Pohlad problem has as much to do with the lack of honesty then anything else. Saying one thing and doing another is problematic.

Be honest and say you are cutting costs and payroll in an effort to sell the team. Say you are not willing to invest heavily in salary until the new CBA is done. This is Minnesota, a lot of people would be more forgiving. If you aren't going to say those things, then don't say anything.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

[NYCTK]

Why Twins fans think Joe Pohlad is the man to blame for the Twins right sizing and not the Pohlad Ownership Group, the same ownership we have today, is beyond me. Is it just something fans will convince themselves of for the false hope of better times ahead? 

Remember when the Pohlads tried to kill the franchise for a quick buck? Remember when the Pohlads told everyone they were selling the team only to reverse course? 

Why anyone wants to believe this Pohlad is separate in philosophy or goals from the other Pohlads is just baffling. Tom is, first and foremost, a Pohlad. 

**** the Pohlads. Sell the team. 

[Brandon]

The 2027 team on paper doesn't have many holes., meaning the Twins have players pegged for the roster already .  I can see us spending money on a Minter contract (2year 18 million?) or we sign a 1B like Ty France again 1 year 8-10 million?). Maybe we sign another reliever or branch player.  We have starting pitching to trade and Larnarch coming off the books or moving to 1B......  The real investment is extensions for the core players and front loading some of them. Signing Jenkins to a 10+ year contract would be great.  Maybe Brooks Lee signed a 4 year deal at a level cost. Keeping Joe Ryan is a significant investment for next season too, he will cost around 12-14 million. Maybe they extend one of Lopez or Kramer for 2-3 years for rotation stability.  There are many ways to significantly invest in the team.  I can see payroll in the 130-150 million especially if they paid off all the debt they said needed to get paid when they brought in additional investors. Also they could be planning to increase payroll for a 2.2 million fans hoping the number comes in around 2.5 + million.  I almost forgot, the other significant investment could be resigning Jeffers to a 4 year 72-76 million deal.  If this is the off-season, I will be happy.

[Woof Bronzer]

I envy your optimism.  I do think it's important to note that Tom was involved the entire offseason.  Here's an article from October 5, 2025 that quotes Tom.  There's no need to give him an excuse for last offseason.  Last offseason showed us who Tom is:  a guy who talks tough, but whose actions don't back them up.   He said he doesn't do half measures, and then executed only half measures, neither rebuilding nor competing, and investing a pittance at the deadline, which actually decreased their playoff odds while ensuring they will lose several assets for nothing.  This year it became clear that there is no long term baseball plan in place, that Tommy is very hands on, and that Tommy seems to have no idea or interest in actually doing the work to build a sustainable winner, but rather prefers to just try to will it into reality by billionaire magic or something, and focus on just telling fans they're going to build a sustainable winner.  

Wanna spend money, make a statement, and actually help the baseball operations?  Go overpay for the best front office in baseball.   It'll cost less than the big ticket FA they'd be dumb to sign.  The fact that his GM is a yes man with zero experience running a baseball team (who rostered a player they had zero intention of playing for several months) speaks volumes.  He's almost certainly the cheapest GM in baseball, and that's not an accident.  Tom hired him; it was intentional; this was the guy Tom wanted to execute his vision, whatever it is.  Zoll didn't deliver on Tom's stated expectation of playing meaningful games in September, but Tom didn't hold Zoll accountable. 

I can't think of a single thing Tom has done to actually demonstrate there's a new commitment to winning.  He has said a lot.  But at the end of the day it's a mediocre team running a $110m payroll on a poorly constructed roster with a Temu GM and 3 straight years nowhere near the playoffs.  

 but he was about as direct as a Twins owner has ever been about the organization's willingness to spend.

Or, as direct as the last one.  Joe Pohlad said the exact same crap about "if the move makes sense we'll do it" and "we aren't about a specific number, we're about meeting opportunities." Jim Pohlad said the exact same crap too.  I cannot believe how short the memories of some fans are.  Fans were SO excited about Joe.  "He actually likes baseball!  He wants to win!"  This was like 4 years ago!  I cannot believe we are doing this again. 

Evergreen reminder:  the Pohlad family tried to contract this franchise out of existence in 2001 for a $150m profit.  If not for a single Hennepin County judge, they would have succeeded.    

[IndianaTwin]

Thanks, Matthew. I'm willing to believe with you. 

Trying to set a different tone is actually one of the reasons I think they will (and should) extend the QO to Jeffers.

I think it makes sense from a purely baseball stance, since it's only a one-year obligation at a primary position of need at only a modest overpay if he does take it. But the odds of that overpay actually happening seems slim based on what has reported, so they should get the draft pick, etc.

When there is a free agent signing, we don't know the full nature of what happens and what is offered. If the team reportedly "comes close" on a big dollar signing, the skeptics will say, "See, they weren't really committed." The QO decision with Jeffers is a concrete way to make a public offer. We will know that the Twins have indeed put a $23M (or whatever) offer on the table to someone.

That won't be enough to appease people, but it will be a first (small) step and better than not taking that step.

I think a similar visible step would be the announcement of an extension to at least one of Lopez, Ryan or one of the young cohort of Keaschall, Jenkins, etc.

Separately, however, I do think the CBA negotiations and likely lockout are going to mess with the ability to be as aggressive as they'd like. That's part of why I think it makes sense to start with the QO and extensions.

[NYCTK]

6 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

I can't think of a single thing Tom has done to actually demonstrate there's a new commitment to winning. 

But what about increasing payroll 6% at the trade deadline! Everyone keeps going on about how increasing payroll 6% signaled a commitment to win! 

9 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Evergreen reminder:  the Pohlad family tried to contract this franchise out of existence in 2001 for a $150m profit.  If not for a single Hennepin County judge, they would have succeeded.

The fact this isn't a the subject of permanent chants inside Target Field is a travesty. 

26 years ago Pohlads tried to kill the Twins and have done nothing sense to earn trust or respect, and many fans are like Susan Collins telling the DC press that the criminal has learned his lesson. 

[Woof Bronzer]

1 minute ago, IndianaTwin said:

The QO decision with Jeffers is a concrete way to make a public offer. We will know that the Twins have indeed put a $23M (or whatever) offer on the table to someone.

I think a similar visible step would be the announcement of an extension to at least one of Lopez, Ryan or one of the young cohort of Keaschall, Jenkins, etc.

I don't agree with a 5 year commitment to Jeffers when catcher is probably our deepest prospect pool.  And long term extensions for pitchers with injury history on the wrong side of 30 is an extremely bad idea.  

However....signing a couple of Keaschall, Jenkins, Bradley, Culpepper to long term deals...the Twins have almost never done that.  That would send a message that something is changing.  

[PuckettPond]

The Pohlads brought us two World Series, Target Field, Dairy Queen Helmets & Walleye on a stick. If the Kennedys are America's Royal family then the Pohlads are Minnesota's Royal family. If the Twins had a home playoff game this fall would they sellout? Remember, Wally the Beerman had his own baseball card.

[Linus]

I think it’s interesting that in the title of the post it says you are “choosing” to be optimistic about TP. I don’t choose to be optimistic or pessimistic- I base those feelings on what I actually observe. Of course everyone gets to believe what they want - I’m not implying your choice is wrong. Right now I’m neither - the only meaningful data point to me was the decision hold on to Ryan, Jeffers, etc because they determined we were a potential playoff team. That was really poor judgment in my opinion but is one instance. I’m willing to keep an open mind going forward but to the things that matter to me he is 0-1 having swung wildly at a pitch out of the zone. 

[IndianaTwin]

14 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

I don't agree with a 5 year commitment to Jeffers when catcher is probably our deepest prospect pool.  And long term extensions for pitchers with injury history on the wrong side of 30 is an extremely bad idea.  

However....signing a couple of Keaschall, Jenkins, Bradley, Culpepper to long term deals...the Twins have almost never done that.  That would send a message that something is changing.  

I agree with you on not being ready to go as far out as five years on Jeffers. That's why I limited that specific comment to the visible nature of a one-year QO. 

I listed Ryan while internally agreeing with you (I think?) that an extension on Ryan is probably unlikely, largely because it would need to be longer than what I think is prudent. I'd be okay with two or three years if he would take it, but I think that's very doubtful.

In my mind, the most viable extension option would be getting Lopez to agree to one more year at a similar price. It's not a long-term commitment on the Twins' side, but I think it makes sense for Lopez as an additional year to demonstrate he's fully back from injury before going back on the market the following year. If he's able to string together even a solid, but abbreviated 2027 and then follow that up with a 2028 that's close to his standards, he's still young enough to get a hefty deal from someone. It also gets the Twins away from the current reality of having exactly one more year of control on him, Lopez, Kremer and Ober. 

[Woof Bronzer]

2 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

I agree with you on not being ready to go as far out as five years on Jeffers. That's why I limited that specific comment to the one-year QO. 

I listed Ryan while internally agreeing with you (I think?) that an extension on Ryan is probably unlikely, largely because it would need to be longer than what I think is prudent. I'd be okay with two or three years if he would take it, but I think that's very doubtful.

In my mind, the most viable extension option would be getting Lopez to agree to one more year at a similar price. It's not a long-term commitment on the Twins' side, but I think it makes sense for Lopez as an additional year to demonstrate he's fully back from injury before going back on the market the following year. If he's able to string together even a solid, but abbreviated 2027 and then follow that up with a 2028 that's close to his standards, he's still young enough to get a hefty deal from someone. It also gets the Twins away from the current reality of having exactly one more year of control on him, Lopez, Kremer and Ober. 

Makes a lot of sense.  Yes 1 year extensions are a different story, I was assuming both Ryan and Lopez would command longer terms but given Lopez's history maybe you are right, a prove-it deal could be in the cards.  

[shimrod]

38 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Evergreen reminder:  the Pohlad family tried to contract this franchise out of existence in 2001 for a $150m profit.  If not for a single Hennepin County judge, they would have succeeded.    

And keep in mind that judge didn't deny the deal. He simply said the owners need to open the books and prove they were losing money before they could break their lease. 

 

[The Great Hambino]

Here's one question I have that I haven't been able to clarify:

When Joe was handed the team, he didn't really have control.  Jim was the one who still represented the franchise on ownership committees, and it was Jim, not Joe, that facilitated the Correa trade.  As it turned out, Joe was merely the public face of what was actually a family decision-making operation - and when push came to shove, a Jim-decision-making operation.

The question I have is this: do these sort of limitations also apply to Tom?  Is he the representative on league committees, or is he simply a new face on the same decision-making body?  Jim and his brothers are still on the board, and the board is still majority-Pohlad-controlled even with the limited partners in the fold.

I'd like to know these answers before I throw my belief behind Tom, even if he is honestly stating his true intentions.  What good is an aggressive mindset if the uncles can still overrule it whenever they feel like it?  If he truly is being given the autonomy to run the team as he sees fit, then I'd feel better - not good, but better - about buying what he's selling 

[MapleGroveTwinsFan]

47 minutes ago, Brandon said:

The 2027 team on paper doesn't have many holes., meaning the Twins have players pegged for the roster already .  I can see us spending money on a Minter contract (2year 18 million?) or we sign a 1B like Ty France again 1 year 8-10 million?). Maybe we sign another reliever or branch player.  We have starting pitching to trade and Larnarch coming off the books or moving to 1B......  The real investment is extensions for the core players and front loading some of them. Signing Jenkins to a 10+ year contract would be great.  Maybe Brooks Lee signed a 4 year deal at a level cost. Keeping Joe Ryan is a significant investment for next season too, he will cost around 12-14 million. Maybe they extend one of Lopez or Kramer for 2-3 years for rotation stability.  There are many ways to significantly invest in the team.  I can see payroll in the 130-150 million especially if they paid off all the debt they said needed to get paid when they brought in additional investors. Also they could be planning to increase payroll for a 2.2 million fans hoping the number comes in around 2.5 + million.  I almost forgot, the other significant investment could be resigning Jeffers to a 4 year 72-76 million deal.  If this is the off-season, I will be happy.

So basically run the same team out there for the 4th year, third time wasn't a charm but the 4th time might be? 

Smart mid to small market teams don't extend pitchers on the wrong side of 30 they trade them, unless of course it is a year or two at the most, and Kremer is the only one that might take that. I would agree there isn't many places to spend money on the offensive side of the equation, but there is a path on the pitching side after they do the right thing and trade Ryan. 

They missed a huge opportunity to help reload the minors by not trading Jeffers, Ryan, Lopez and one of Wallner or Larnach before last year. 

 

 

[SteveLV]

That was a pretty underwhelming end of season presser, IMO.  A lot of platitudes and generalities.

Disappointing season, but consistent with the talent they fielded.

Made the exact wrong moves leading up to and at the trade deadline.  Should have leveraged needs from other teams to extract good value for Jeffers and Ryan before they leave.  Buying on 1 year RP's was pretty meaningless when you are not a realistic contender==more lipstick on the pig.

Want to generate some good will? 

Give Jeffers a 4 year deal.

Lock up Jenkins on a long-term deal.

Extend Ryan.  Extend Lopez.

Make some sensible trades of excess OF depth for other areas like RP's.

Find a frickin' 1B that can field and hit, either through trade or FA.

Cut the dead wood.

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

Why Twins fans think Joe Pohlad is the man to blame for the Twins right sizing and not the Pohlad Ownership Group...

Joe Pohlad was the spokesperson for ownership. Joe Pohlad chose the term "right-sized." Joe Pohlad put his foot in his mouth time and again with public communications. There's a difference between:

"We're looking to better capitalize on ways other small market franchises have been successful reaching deep in the playoffs like the Rays and Brewers rather than emulating teams with high payrolls who've consistently been uncompetitive."

St. Peter + Joe Pohlad "We're looking to right-size the payroll because we're not making enough money off our crappy fans."

[Ricky Vaughn]

Is he talking about raising payroll because he thinks there is going to be a payroll floor in the future and he is just trying to spin it for the Pohlads benefit before it happens?

[Woof Bronzer]

14 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

The question I have is this: do these sort of limitations also apply to Tom?  Is he the representative on league committees, or is he simply a new face on the same decision-making body?  Jim and his brothers are still on the board, and the board is still majority-Pohlad-controlled even with the limited partners in the fold.

I think it's almost a certainty that the uncles are still pulling the strings.  Pretty sure Tom is their rep, but as you referenced, the fact that Jim stepped in and got the Correa trade done tells you all you need to know.  I think Jim just got sick of being the face of ownership and bearing the brunt of fan criticism, and he never really seemed to enjoy baseball very much anyway.  But he definitely cares about the money though.  

Think about it this way, if Tom goes out and says "we shouldn't have cut payroll in 2023, that was a mistake"....well, great, bump it right back up!   The Pohlads are some of the richest people on the planet, they could add $50m to the payroll and not even notice it.  If the Pohlads truly believe that cutting payroll was a mistake, why haven't they corrected it?  

[LA Vikes Fan]

I'm an a optimist by nature. I'd like to believe in Tom. But. like many here, I need to see action to believe that he will spend the money necessary to be competitive. 

The real problem here is spend it on who? The best available FAs are all over 30 except for Arraez. Our need are 2B, 1B, C, 1 SP, and bullpen help. Overpay or not, there is little chance Skubal would choose Minnesota over staying with the Dodgers, same for King and Morejon staying with the Padres or another West Coast team. I don't want Jazz Chisholm (and why would he leave the Yankees) and we got OFs so why spend big on Arozarena or Suzuki. Brandon Lowe is 32 but would be a good get for 2B (move Clemens to 1B) as would our old friend Arraez who's 29, but then there's no room at the Inn for Houston for at least 2 years. If you look at the available FAs, there really isn't a lot to like other than Morejon or Helsley for the BP or maybe one of the 2B. 

What would show me a lot would be for the Twins to re-sign some core guys that are or are soon to be FAs. The key guys are Jeffers, Lopez, Minter, and Ryan. Jeffers is the priority. He's the best FA C out there and can probably be had for less than $20m a year for 4 years. Lopez seems like he wants to stay - take a risk and give him 3 -4 years at $25M a year. Try to re-sign Ryan for 4-5 years at $30m a year and if you can't, trade him and don't be afraid to take on a big contract. Give Minter 2 years, $20-25M total if that's what it takes although he may be a little cheaper. Go to FA and sign Helsley or Morejon, or even David Bednar or Gregory Soto, and give them a 2 or 3 year deal. Don't worry so much about a guy like Houston who is still in AA - go out and sign Arraez or Lowe and give them at least 2 or 3 year deals. If Houston is the real deal sooner than 2029 you can make a later trade or be creative with the roster and move the older player to 1B.  I know some of you will say "those deals are overpaying at the end of the deal". You're probably right but that's the price of signing people. If you aren't willing to risk significantly overpaying someone at the end of a long term contract you cannot sign anybody any good. Period. 

I want to believe. Re-signing players who can be the core guys to build around, especially Jeffers, Lopez, Minter, and Ryan, would go a long way. 

 

[LA Vikes Fan]

12 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

That was a pretty underwhelming end of season presser, IMO.  A lot of platitudes and generalities.

Disappointing season, but consistent with the talent they fielded.

Made the exact wrong moves leading up to and at the trade deadline.  Should have leveraged needs from other teams to extract good value for Jeffers and Ryan before they leave.  Buying on 1 year RP's was pretty meaningless when you are not a realistic contender==more lipstick on the pig.

Want to generate some good will? 

Give Jeffers a 4 year deal.

Lock up Jenkins on a long-term deal.

Extend Ryan.  Extend Lopez.

Make some sensible trades of excess OF depth for other areas like RP's.

Find a frickin' 1B that can field and hit, either through trade or FA.

Cut the dead wood.

Right on brother. 

[Mike Sixel]

I'm happy for those that are happy and choose to believe. 

[Woof Bronzer]

28 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'm happy for those that are happy and choose to believe. 

100%. I wish I wasn't so cynical!