Hmm, the Pohlads upped their payroll in 2023 and we went farther than we had in decades. Then after a season of success, instead of building on that, they cut payroll to ‘right the ship’ and the team fell short. Sure, you can blame it on players falling short, they are to blame as well with some poor or injured performances, but I do think there was a correlation there. The Pohlads deflated their payroll and the season was deflated before it even began.
That said, I don’t know when we’ll see a deal. I don’t know if this one was the right one or not. Time will tell if we missed out. But the minute we knew of the Ishbias having a minority share of the Sox, it seemed a bit fishy. I’m not so sure we missed out as much as I think we were played.