There's a lot of justification with convincing stat lines and dollar signs. But I agree with Joe Ryan.
It's not about stats. It's about culture. Most likely, nearly all of us have spent time on teams of one form or another, and leadership is a key component. Sonny Gray may have been an a-hole at times, but he was a true battler and a leader. (And #2 in CY voting the year he walked). The part of the headline of this article hits the nail right on the head-- It did begin the downward spiral, because no sooner did we finally win a playoff series (2 games- but who cares?), and have a dependable staff ace, than that silver-spoon, tone-deaf, cake-eater joe pohlad tells the fans that ownership basically doesn't give a 💩 about winning, or the fans. They care only for their pocket book.
The pohlads have destroyed any fan connection or interest for years to come, and it most definitely started with that p*ssant joe pohlad's Sonny Gray decision.