Amazon/Diamond Sports Deal Could be Game-Changer for Twins' TV and Payroll

What implications might the potential partnership between Amazon and Diamond (also known as Bally Sports Networks) hold for the Twins? While the full extent of the impact remains somewhat uncertain, it has the potential to be a game-changing development, benefiting both fans and the team's offseason plans. Let's delve into the backstory and engage in some informed speculation.

First, a bit of background: The Twins had a $55-million-per-year TV/streaming agreement with Diamond that recently expired. However, the real issue was Diamond's financial instability, due to mishandling their plan to stream MLB teams' games within their markets. They initially restricted others from broadcasting the games, but then encountered problems while attempting to do so themselves, effectively preventing anyone from streaming the Twins' games. Consequently, many teams, including the Twins, sought to terminate Diamond's streaming rights.

On the other hand, Bally Sports Networks, while willing to pay for TV rights, recognized the growing significance of streaming. This left the Twins without a suitable TV partner, with limited alternatives. The Twin Cities lacked another sports network, and over-the-air channels were bound by contractual obligations to network programming. While the Twins, MLB, or other local teams could potentially establish their own channel, Comcast was reluctant to charge subscribers for it, making it a very limited revenue source, relying only on advertising, a lot of which the Twins already enjoy with their broadcasts.

Enter the informed speculation. The Amazon deal, in theory, serves two critical purposes. Firstly, it could alleviate Diamond's financial woes, taking them out of bankruptcy. Secondly, and perhaps more significantly, it brings in a minority owner with the expertise and resources needed to handle streaming successfully. This opens up the possibility of in-market games being available on Amazon Prime, making Diamond a viable partner once more for both TV and streaming rights.

However, there's still one hurdle to overcome. Unlike most MLB teams, the Twins no longer have an existing agreement with Diamond, given that it expired this year. But it's reasonable to assume that negotiations for a new deal may have already been part of the discussions during this process. How soon that is all resolved is the biggest remaining question.

In summary, it appears likely that the Twins will find a home on Bally Sports Networks next year, and their games in-market could become accessible via Amazon Prime - with a subscription, of course. This arrangement might also pave the way for the team to recoup a significant portion of the $55 million in revenue that seemed lost. This, in turn, could translate into a potential increase in payroll. Time is not on the Twins' side, but there's a window here.

In fact, it raises the intriguing possibility that several notable free agents, including starting pitchers like Jordan Montgomery (who played for the Rangers, who were also affected) and Blake Snell (who played for the Padres, ditto), may have been patiently waiting for this development to bolster some teams' offseason payroll plans.