Worse yet, they announced the team was no longer for sale, after about 10 months of shopping the MLB organization the late Carl Pohlad purchased back in 1982.

Instead, the Pohlads decided to retain their majority stake. To fix their short-term cash-flow problems, they sold a minority share to two different investor groups, one local and the other from out east, according to reports.

And while we don’t yet know the identities of these new limited partners, we are starting to get a better grasp of how much ownership pie they bought.

Twenty percent of Minnesota Twins trades hands

Prior to Tuesday, the number being floated around was 20%. Yesterday, though, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes was able to confirm that percentage, along with a more detailed debt number, “in excess of $430 million.”

Sources confirmed that those limited partnerships are purchasing at least 20 percent of the club, moves that should help the team reduce accrued debt in excess of $430 million.

Dan Hayes – The Athletic

Selling a minority stake of the Minnesota Twins will help the Pohlads generate additional cash flow, as they will no longer have to make interest payments on their debt, which at that number, was becoming a serious problem.

Trading Carlos Correa (along with $30 million in cash) to Houston at the deadline allowed the Twins to unload $70 million in future salary. Ownership also fired nearly all of its pro scouting department on Tuesday, a move that likely saves something like $400,000, or roughly 2% of the bottom line.

Related: MN Twins Axe Scouting Department

How big of a voice these minority partners will get in franchise altering decisions, remains to be seen. Despite the addition of these new owners and additional cash-flow, fans and media alike continue to brace for more payroll cuts in the offseason.

It’s a sad state of affairs for the franchise, and everything is entirely self inflicted. The Pohlads pulled the plug following the 2023 season rather than pouring gas on what was a burning fire. Now they are just watching it all go up in flames.

Then, less than a year after being listed for sale, the Pohlads pulled the Twins off the market, instead opting to sell ~20% to new minority partners, in order to help the family pay down debt.

Minnesota Twins scouting department no more down to one

But the latest cost-cutting measure is a doozy. After paring back the team’s pro scouting department in recent years, the group will now cease to exist. At least, that’s what was originally reported by Dan Hayes (The Athletic), after ownership cut four employees from that department on Tuesday evening.

Thanks to a recently added editor’s note in Dan’s story, we’ve learned that the Twins had five employees in that department at 1 Twins Way — meaning it’s still somewhat operational, but only as a one-man band.

The Twins eliminated four of the five members of their pro scouting staff, multiple league sources confirmed on Tuesday night, a move that one league source described as part of cost-cutting measures by team ownership.

Though the terminations were telegraphed by a significant reduction in the scouts’ travel budget in previous years, the four staff members learned early Tuesday their positions would not be renewed.

Dan Hayes -The Athletic

In the midst of Tuesday night’s contest against the New York Yankees, While advance and pro scouting isn’t what it once was, especially for the Minnesota Twins, deciding to chop the entire department to just one person…. is a choice.

Those let go included former Baseball America employee John Manuel, Ken Compton (15 years with Minnesota), Keith Stohr, and Jose Marzan (30 years with Minnesota). Each of them was informed, with two weeks left in the season, that their contracts would not be renewed.

Related: Expect Less Payroll for Crumbling MN Twins in 2026

The last man standing in the MN Twins pro scouting department is Wesley Wright, a 40-year-old former journeyman lefty reliever who in 2017 — after retiring from baseball with eight years of big league experience —signed a scouting contract with the Twins. Less than a decade later, he’s the only pro scout still employed by the organization.

MN Twins budget cuts continue to hit baseball operations dept

Minnesota’s front office has grown exponentially, since Derek Falvey took over for Terry Ryan. That was largely a necessity, given the stone age it was living in previously. Scouting has certainly taken on a different look since then, with the easy access teams have to video and raw data.

However, the Twins have been slowly cutting their scouting budget for years, and now four of the five scouts they employed are the latest victims of the Pohlad Family budget cuts. And more than likely, this isn’t the end.

With the new business arrangement in place, the Twins are looking to restructure a front office that grew exponentially in terms of resources and positions in the past five years, a team source said.

The Twins had leaned less on their pro scouting department in recent years, heavily cutting travel to road games and requiring them to mainly do video-based scouting. Wright and the team’s pro personnel department, which was already scouting via video, will handle the club’s pro scouting duties moving forward, a source confirmed.

Dan Hayes -The Athletic

How the offseason will be handled remains a mystery. But more than likely, there are more cuts to come, including the active roster. It’s also very possible that manager Rocco Baldelli and others within the Twins coaching staff will be on the chopping block, despite the manager’s 2026 option being picked up earlier this year.

Falvey safe, unlike “MyTwins” benefits

Of course, team president Derek Falvey was promoted, following last season’s collapse. Despite his lackluster track record,the head of Minnesota’s snake appears safe.

Earlier this week, the Twins stopped allowing fans to use “MyTwins” benefits for concession stand coupons. It took Twins Daily owner John Bonnes calling them on the move, in order for them to change course.

BREAKING NEWS: You’ve been heard, #MNTwins fans. Concession Cash is available again for rewards points, just in time for dollar dogs tonight. pic.twitter.com/v5ytf8tHXD

— John Bonnes (@TwinsGeek) September 16, 2025

With the Pohlads are seemingly bleeding money out of every orifice, already having rolled other business debt into the team, and attendance into the tank, it’s likely we see more “cost savings” pushed onto the Minnesota Twins organization this offseason.

Fast forward a few unfortunate injuries and some really bad baseball later, their postseason dreams were already dead and, instead of being buyers at the MLB trade deadline, they were the league’s most active sellers.

Not only did the front office ship out 40% of the active roster roster, in the days leading up to the July 31 deadline, but the headlining departures went far beyond expiring contracts.

MN Twins president Derek Falvey and the Pohlads dealt Carlos Correa and all of their up-and-coming bullpen assets, no matter how much team control they had remaining. When it was all said and done, the only sliver of hope remaining for fans was the ongoing sale of the organization, after it was put up for sale in October, 2024.

Then, of course, the Pohlad family took the Minnesota Twins off the market, instead swindling two new minority investment partners into buying off their debt, in exchange for their small share in the flailing baseball franchise. In the weeks that have followed, fans have responded in kind.

Hatred for Pohlads loud and clear in recent fan poll

Not only has Target Field struggled to get more than 10,000 physical fans in the stands, but a recent poll ran by The Athletic allowed them another outlet to voice their frustration with the Twins, as an organization.

Of course, fans mostly used it as another way to show the Pohlads that they are more disliked in this town currently, than possibly ever before… and that is saying something.

Of nearly 6,000 respondents, 98.5% voted that the Pohlads should sell the team. That means that just 87 of 6000 voters for them to keep the team they’ve owned for over 40 years.

It’s difficult to get 98.5 percent of people to agree on pretty much anything, but the idea of the Pohlads no longer owning the Twins carries an approval rating that’s probably on par with “pizza tastes good” and “dogs are cute.” And as the responses to other questions show, it’s part of a larger theme.

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

It’s curious why those 87 respondents would want the Pohlad family to stick around. Then again, as Aaron points out, it’s impossible to get 6000 people to agree unanimously on anything, and 98.5% is an extremely high number, no matter what vote is taking place.

Pohlads participating in the poll…?

Also, let’s remember that Pohlad friends and family members have access to the internet, too, and there is some inconclusive evidence suggesting that there may have been some Pohlad participation within these votes.

Longtime Twins fan, reporter and analyst, Aaron Gleeman — who’s been one of the media members in town most publicly critical of the Pohlads — draws some interesting hypotheticals from the results a question further down The Athletic’s poll, asking what grade fans are currently giving the MN Twins owners .

This largely matches the results from the survey’s first question, with 98.2 percent of voters giving the Pohlads a D or F grade, compared to 98.5 percent wanting them to sell the team. And that includes 89.5 percent assigning the owners a failing grade, four times the front office and manager combined.

Since you’re probably curious: 0.2 percent assigning ownership an A grade equals a total of nine responses out of nearly 6,000. For some context, there are coincidentally also nine people with the last name “Pohlad” or “Falvey” listed on the leadership page of the family’s business website.

Aaron Gleeman – The Athletic

Related: KFAN Host Goes Nuclear on Minnesota Twins Owners

One thing we know for sure from the results from The Athletic’s poll: Minnesota Twins fans hate the Pohlads. It’s a fair take, given what one cheapskate family has done to try and destroy summer for baseball fans in the state.

Even prior to the current iteration of Pohlads, it was their grandfather — arguably the only successful business person in family history — who just 20 years ago tried to sell what is now a multibillion dollar asset back to the league for a measly $250 million.

Before then, he spent the 90s tearing down one of the greatest professional sports teams ever assembled in Minnesota sports history, after the Twins won two World Series in four years from 1987 to 1991.

Thus, it’s extremely unlikely the family will ever be forgiven, and they have done themselves no favors moving forward either. Not after Joe Pohlad & Co. decided to “right size the business,” following one of the greatest seasons in the past two decades, then tore it down to its studs at the trade deadline.

MN Twins can thrive despite Pohlad grip…?

If there is hope for the future, it is in that the on-field product has plenty of youth to supplement the big league roster. Of course that requires the front office to put the right development pieces in place. They have accomplished that on the mound to a certain extent, but the hitting development has alluded them.

Any front office would be better able to operate with more resources at their disposal. For Derek Falvey and Jeremy Zoll, that’s simply not going to happen in Minnesota. If they want to get the team back on track, it will take looking internally and winning on the fringes.

Related: Report: Minnesota Twins Owners Still Plan to Sell

There is a path forward even if the Pohlads remain head honchos. For now that’s the path Minnesota must navigate. Maybe the long term view of a sale isn’t dead either, and that’s a hope we can all dream on.

After confidently selling down to the roster bones at the deadline, the Pohlad’s decided to do the opposite with their sale of the Minnesota Twins organization, taking the team completely off the market and instead opting to fix their financial troubles by taking on minority investors for the first time since 2002.

Of course, the Pohlads and their propaganda president, Derek Falvey, spun their recent roster teardown and ownership decision in a positive light. But in reality, if it looked more like a short-term cash grab by financially desperate owners, well… that’s because it was.

Minnesota Twins could have sold, but Pohlads chose $500 million instead?

When the MN Twins went on the market last October there was much rejoicing. Without knowing who the next owner could be, the hope was that another owner… no matter who, couldn’t be as bad as the Pohlad family or the questionable $400 million they racked up in family debt since 2020.

The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman didn’t hold back in his criticism of the Minnesota Twins’ longstanding ownership group, during a recent episode of Gleeman and the Geek.

There, the longtime Twins fan and now beat-style insider/reporter estimates that the Pohlads received as much as $500 million from their new minority partners, uncoincidentally just enough to cover their $400+ million in reported debt.

“It’s more clear than ever to me that the could have sold it. They didn’t consider them good enough offers. But they received, or would have received lets say, what would have been considered by the rest of baseball, market rate offers. $1.4, $1.5B something like that.

Joe Pohlad didn’t want to give up the team. This was a better scenario because they can get $500M without giving control of the team…They absolutely chose this path of chunks of minority ownership to get money to pay down the debt over selling the team. It wasn’t a situation where they could not get $1.5B for they team and so they pivoted. It’s a situation where they chose this path actively over that”

Aaron Gleeman

We can debate whether or not $1.5 billion should have been enough to make a deal work. Major League Baseball probably would have preferred to avoid that. The goal is to always have the water level raising. The Tampa Bay Rays are selling for $1.7 billion, and recent valuations had them below Minnesota.

Pohlad quest to fix their money problems

Since the Twins went up for sale, we’ve known the Pohlads’ magic number to be $1.7 billion. Given the Rays got that amount, theoretically they should have too. However, the Rays (at least not according to any reports) weren’t carrying massive amounts of debt either.

Dan Hayes and Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reported that the minority shares sold by the Pohlad’s were completed at a higher valuation than $1.7 billion. That is much more feasible though when it’s coming in at a significantly smaller chunk of the franchise.

Ultimately though, this continues to boil down to a worst case scenario. The Pohlad family put the Twins up for sale. They couldn’t find a buyer and their ask was too rich. Rather than pivot, they just found a pair of entities willing to buy their debt in exchange for a seat at the table.

Related: Rocco Baldelli Takes Responsibility Minnesota Twins Bosses Won’t

Unless the two new parties are going to be both publicly identified, and actively interacting with the operation, there’s little reason to believe the future will be more than status quo. Joe Pohlad and Derek Falvey want you to believe this is all a good thing.

Guess what? It’s not.

Fast forward a year and that same family, weeks after gutting the organization’s major league roster, changed course and announced they’re keeping the MLB franchise they’ve owned since 1982, leaving MN Twins fans disappointed yet again.

Back in 2016, Jim Pohlad — the family’s former face of ownership — called the result of an extremely disappointing season a “total system failure.” Unfortunately, we haven’t heard that type of accountability from anywhere inside the Minnesota Twins organization, from owners on down.

The only non-player I’ve heard shoulder any of the blame, whether it be for their disappointing 2025 season, the deadline roster deconstruction or the cancelled sale… is manager Rocco Baldelli, and it came Monday, in an article posted at The Athletic by Aaron Gleeman.

MN Twins have unwavering support of Rocco Baldelli

“Frankly, we just have to play better. That’s really the only way I can look at it. I look in the mirror every day and always will take full responsibility for our team, even more so when we don’t play well. And we just frankly have not performed the way that we have to perform.”

Rocco Baldelli – The Athletic

Listen, it’s not shocking that Rocco Baldelli would stick out his neck for a general manager that has since extended him, or an ownership group that cuts his checks. The unfortunate part is he shouldn’t be the only one.

Nothing Baldelli said in those four sentences is incorrect. The team needs to play better, and he manages the team. That said, he is not on the field and as much as he’d like to, he can’t turn back time or reincarnate himself back into the top prospect and promising big leaguer he once was.

Related: Top Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Promoted

The goal of a manager is to create a level of synchrony between the front office and those between the lines. For that, he has been exceptional. It’s why he remains around, and why he was tabbed to take over for Paul Molitor, despite his predecessor having recently won a Manager of the Year award.

What Baldelli has little control over is the Minnesota Twins’ long term direction, at either the executive or ownership levels. All he can do is work with the 26-man roster he is afforded.

When does anyone else take responsibility?

Just like Baldelli did from the dugout, Derek Falvey watched the team he constructed collapse last season. How did he respond? He did nothing. That has become a common reality for the president of baseball operations.

Instead of being on the hotseat, however, he was elevated to president of business operations while retaining his former title too, making him quite literally the most powerful front office executive in the sport.

In recent seasons, his power has resulted in missing the playoffs four of the past five seasons, in part because he failed to supplement quality teams at the trade deadline. And the ones he did make mostly failed. In 2024, Falvey swung a trade for Trevor Richards, who had more wild pitches (7) than runs allowed (6) in his 13 innings of work. That’s it.

Still, Falvey remains, along with his consistent utterings of meaningless gobbledegook, which has grown more tiresome than the squad he’s put together. At this point, Falvey is nothing more than a mouthpiece for terrible owners.

Let's talk about the MN Twins' PROPAGANDA President… pic.twitter.com/axDLbbqeJk

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) August 7, 2025

Of course, we can’t expect Falvey to come down harshly on the people writing his paychecks, but he has no problems pointing the finger elsewhere, when needed. We’ve seen his GM Thad Levine get the axe, along with multiple assistant coaches. At what point do we admit that the team president is part of the problem?

“We have some areas where we’ve come up short relative to what we’ve projected. There have been a few position players that, if you ask them, they’d say, ‘I’m not performing quite to my abilities.’”

Derek Falvey – The Athletic

Of course, Falvey enjoyed the 2019 Bomba Squad that blasted a bouncy baseball to smithereens. Since then, he’s struggled to adjust to a game that’s continued to favor better pitching. And the teams he has built on slugging… haven’t been slugging.

The Twins are 18th in slugging percentage this season and their 144 homers rank 14th. They are also slow (24th in stolen bases and 25th in baserunning above average) and minus to bad defenders at a lot of positions. Those are all self-inflicted choices made by the president.

Only the Pohlad’s trump Falvey’s culpability for MN Twins

The Pohlad family will never get it. Falvey would need to build up decades of horrible decision-making before reaching that level.

These are real quotes from the Minnesota Twins’ current chairman, from his first public interview since cancelling the team sale. If you’re looking for accountability, you might want to look elsewhere.

“And I would say to those fans: It’s my job and this new ownership group’s new job to do everything we can to set this organization up for success, hopefully in the short- and long-term both. I look forward to it.”

“I don’t think we could have imagined a better outcome than where we landed.”

“Our fans are passionate. Our fans want to win. We have that in common — we want to win, too.”

Joe Pohlad – Star Tribune

Related: KFAN Host Goes Nuclear on Minnesota Twins Owners

Until those above Rocco Baldelli decide to hold themselves accountable, it doesn’t matter what he does or how he manages. The man responsible for putting this failed team together earned a promotion. Think about that.

At the end of the day it will always be the manager that gets fired. Someone has to take the fall. While he’s being criticized, and even sometimes rightly for moves on a nightly basis, it would be great for someone else at the executive or ownership levels to step up too.

It was a shocking change in direction, even for the Pohlads, and went against what MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told us one month ago. Instead of selling, the Pohlads will welcome two new minority investors, who are being brought in to help pay down the $400+ million the Twins have accrued in debt.

For months, the Minnesota Twins have sought a party willing to match their $1.7 billion asking price, even though their latest Forbes valuation says they’re only worth $1.5 billion. Still, the word around insider baseball streets was that a deal was imminent.

While that is above recent Forbes valuations, there was momentum to suggest someone may emerge. They took on minority owners instead. The team was pulled off the market, and interested parties were left flabbergasted. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and Britt Ghiroli have more.

Potential Minnesota Twins buyer shocked by Pohlads’ decision

That’s why it wasn’t just fans who were shocked by yesterday’s announcement. According to a report co-written at The Athletic by Dan Hayes and Britt Ghiroli, a potential buyer, who met as recently as last week to brainstorm ways to raise more capital, was “blindsided” by the Pohlads’ decision to keep control of the Minnesota Twins.

The embattled Pohlad family reversed course on a nearly yearlong effort to sell the Minnesota Twins and declared themselves the right people to keep control of the debt-ridden franchise — a swift pivot in the face of festering fan discontent that sources said left one interested buyer “blindsided” as they worked to secure financing for the believed asking price of $1.7 billion.

It’s unclear if that group, or any potential bidder, came even remotely close to meeting the family’s asking price. But sources said the group had met as recently as Wednesday morning in their effort to raise capital. A few hours later, the Pohlads announced that not only would they retain control of the club

The Athletic

Revealed: Why Pohlads Cancelled MN Twins Sale + Details on New Investors

Rather than part ways with the team, the Pohlad family sold more than 20-percent of the franchise. Given that figure, it certainly seems like a family struggling to find competency in their business dealings took on investors willing to clear their $425 million or more in debt for an ownership stake.

Joe Pohlad made the rounds amongst different media outlets on Wednesday and tripped over himself at every opportunity. He told The Athletic, “We’ve owned this franchise for 40 years. It’s a really difficult thing to part with. We feel we’re the right people to lead this organization, to own this franchise.”

Earlier in the day Wednesday, Pohlad went on record with the Star Tribune saying, “I don’t think we could have imagined a better outcome than where we landed.”

It’s genuinely infuriating, but entirely predictable, that the Pohlad family would fail to close this deal, then act like that’s what they wanted the entire time. “Business savvy” isn’t exactly their middle name, after all.

Pohlad’s clueless regarding perception of Twins sale

Ultimately it’s the fans that lose in this entire situation because the status quo remains intact. Contrary to what Joe Pohlad is trying to sell on us, his family keeping control of the MN Twins is the worst possible outcome out of this < one year long sales process.

It doesn’t help that Joe Pohlad can’t talk his way out of a paper bag. He is the byproduct of inherited wealth putting people into positions they never earned. Many businesses have the same nepotism problem, but not all of them crash and burn publicly like Joe has since he took control of daily operations back in 2022.

When speaking with Miller at the Star Tribune about the Twins’ massive debt, Pohlad reminded us just how unqualified he is for the very important job he holds. Everyone knows that $400+ million was a huge problem during this process. Yet, Joe gaslit the conversation anyway.

“As far as I’m aware, that debt was not a hindrance in this process, But with this transaction, we’re going to be paying that debt down.”

Joe Pohlad – Star Tribune

Related: MN Twins Ready to Move on From Former 1st Round Pick?

Hours after this quote went public, The Athletic reported that, “Two sources involved in the process from different interested groups said the Twins’ finances were a significant cause for concern.” I mean, does he think we are that stupid?

The front office went through an ownership-mandated selloff just two weeks ago. They traded top free agent acquisition Carlos Correa for nothing. The depths they went to in crushing the roster was unprecedented.

Then again, Joe Pohlad made it clear in his original statement yesterday morning that Minnesota Twins owners were not the ones who ordered any of that. Apparently he thinks we are gullible enough to believe that too.

The individual returns Minnesota got for gutting its big league roster were mostly on the light side, and thanks to Bob Nightengale (USA Today), we now know why. For weeks, the Twins front office had a plan that was well-known around the league.

Minnesota Twins did not plan their trade deadline fire sale

Team president Derek Falvey’s message was clear. Minnesota was going to deal away expiring contracts (Castro, Paddack, Coulombe, etc), along with one or two back-end relievers, then get ready for another run at the playoffs in 2026.

In fact, when the Houston Astros first called on Correa (demanding the Twins pay most of his salary and include another big leaguer), Falvey laughed and hung up the phone. So did Carlos Correa’s agent, Scott Boras.

Astros GM Dana Brown telephone the Twins to inquire if they would be willing to trade Correa and one of their outfielders to the Astros. Oh, and could they pick up about $50 million of the remaining $103 million on Correa’s contract, too? The Twins laughed, and hung up.

When USA TODAY Sports contacted Correa’s agent Scott Boras to inquire whether Correa would waive his no-trade clause, he laughed, too. Correa loved Minnesota, he said. The Twins loved him. Besides, there was no way, he said, the Astros would take on that kind of money.

Bob Nightengale – USA Today Sports

Given the troubling season Correa was having with the Twins (.267/.319/.386), offloading him back to Houston isn’t the worst idea, even for an organization that cares about winning. Of course, we found out pretty quickly that winning anytime in the near future was not on the Pohlads’ radar.

Everything changed for MN Twins after the Carlos Correa trade

Because once they dealt Correa, everything about the Minnesota Twins deadline plans changed. Whether players wanted to be traded or not, Falvey started accepting cents on the dollar for some of the organization’s most expensive assets.

“[The Twins] said they were going to just trade players on expiring contracts. They were going to re-visit the other stuff in the winter. Then, they started selling off everyone.”

The GM spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity in order to freely analyze the trade deadline.

USA Today Sports

Related: Minnesota Twins Sale Reportedly Gaining Steam… with Some Doubters

But what changed in the hours between Falvey laughing and hanging hung up on Astros GM Dana Brown and the Correa deal officially being consummated? Well, Nightengale has that answer too.

We found out over the weekend that it was Jim Pohlad and Houston’s owner Jim Crane who handled the final Correa negotiations directly. In the end, the Minnesota Twins agreed to pay down $30 million of the $90 million remaining on Correa’s contract, along with 26-year-old single-A pitching prospect Matt Mikulski.

Astros owner Jim Crane convinced Pohlads to give everything away

According to Nightengale, however, Crane’s involvement in the Twins’ 2025 fire sale went way beyond finalizing the Carlos Correa deal. Instead, he seems to be the sole person who convinced the Pohlads into their deadline actions last week.

The Astros owner reportedly called up Jim Pohlad and used the impending sale of the franchise as a way to convinced him that selling off as many salary assets as possible was the best way forward for the Pohlad family and the future owners,

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane…perhaps lit the first match in the fire sale in a casual conversation at the Leatherstocking Golf Course. He mentioned that they might try to pursue All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, and with the Twins so deep in debt – about $440 million – that Minnesota may have no choice but to dump him.

While some were dismissive of the idea, Crane refused to blink. He wanted to make sure the Twins understood the severity of their financial woes. The Twins are deep in debt. They are trying to sell the team for $1.7 billion. The team will be more attractive to every suitor, Crane said in talks with the Pohlad family, if their payroll was slashed. Correa’s contract happened to be the biggest financial commitment.

The Pohlad family got back to Derek Falvey, Twins president of baseball operations. They suddenly were curious. Correa, who left the game early Tuesday with a migraine, suddenly felt good enough to sit down with Falvey, himself. If the Twins indeed are rebuilding, he said, he’d gladly waive his no-trade clause for a chance to get back to Houston.

Bob Nightengale – USA Today Sports

How incredible is that? The Pohlad family strikes again, allowing a rival owner obviously trying to pry talent away on the cheap, talk them into one of the worst baseball business decisions in Minnesota Twins history, and that is saying something.

Again, it’s not that difficult to convince a Twins fan that it was time to end the Carlos Correa experiment. Had they deadline selling ended there, nobody would be mad.

Related: Byron Buxton is the Leader Carlos Correa Couldn’t Be

But in the hours between the Correa trade and the 5 pm deadline on July 31, Minnesota proceeded to give away Brock Stewart, Griffin Jax and Louie Varland for incredibly questionable returns, which shocked opposing front offices, as executives lined up for the Twins’ garage sale.

And now, the big league cupboards are bare and everyone in baseball is laughing at the Pohlads yet again.

There was always an expectation that the impending free agents would move. Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran seemed possible. It wasn’t one though, it was both. Then they paid $30 million to get rid of Carlos Correa for nothing, and threw in the uncostly Louie Varland for good measure.

It was truly a kick in the shorts to fans. I can confirm those within the clubhouse were also left fumbling for answers. Maybe this nightmare is almost over though.

Momentum gaining towards MN Twins sale

Recent reports suggested the Twins had finally found an anchor investor after Justin Ishbia bailed on his level of interest. How things progress now will be interesting, but an anonymous source told Front Office Sports things are moving.

Behind the scenes, there continues to be “momentum” toward a sale of the franchise, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The series of trades certainly shed millions of dollars in salary—which will financially benefit the Pohalds this year by lessening their salary obligations—but it is not expected to impact the sale process, a source tells Front Office Sports.

In fact, there could be news on that front in “within a matter of weeks,” the source said.

Front Office Sports

By parting out roughly $25 million in payroll this season, the Pohlad’s get to stretch their bank account a bit. The pettiness of dollars was on display in needing to tie Randy Dobnak’s $2 million to Chris Paddack, and Ty France’s $1 million to Louie Varland.

There is no way to sugarcoat just how deplorable the Pohlad family has become. For years they have treated the Minnesota Twins like a public hedge fun in which they do not at all care about fan interest. They are currently run by Joe Pohlad, who is nothing more than a byproduct of family lineage with failed ventures littering his resume.

We have not seen any substantive information as to who the interested party may be. At this point though, I can almost guarantee Twins fans would signup sight unseen for whoever the alternative is.

Related: Confirmed: Cheap Pohlads Ordered MN Twins’ Deadline Demolition

It’s sad how much the organization cratered fan interest following the 2023 postseason run. After Thursday’s debacle, it won’t return en masse until the overlords leave.

Conflicting reports on MN Twins exist

While Front Office Sports’ source uses momentum, there is some doubt into the legitimacy of that traction. David Shama talked with another anonymous source that says not so fast.

“I am told earlier in the week, a sale is NOT close, contrary to some recent reports. The Twins need a huge cash influx to contend. Some potential owners have backed off because of the debt in place. (Also,) heard through my MLB sources that there is infighting internally amongst the Pohlad family.”

Former Sports Executive – Sports Headliners

Obviously these are very conflicting reports, but there’s probably a level of validity here too. The differing interests of the Pohlad family, while some only see the team as a future payday, has been widely speculated.

Even the members at Interlachen Country Club hate the Pohlads 😂 pic.twitter.com/tVLAq8Gwvx

— 10,000 Takes (@10k_Takes) August 1, 2025

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he’s expecting a deal to get done, but this thing has been on the market for nine months now. The Tampa Bay Rays have already found a buyer without a current or future stadium, and for a valuation that Minnesota is targeting.

As a whole, the gong show needs to end, and the only ones being taken through the ringer are fans emotionally invested in the product.

It could get worse for Minnesota Twins

If for some reason the Twins aren’t able to get a deal done, and soon, the Pohlad’s will govern the offseason. After the selloff at the trade deadline, the only guaranteed contracts on the books for 2026 are Pablo Lopez ($21.75M) and Byron Buxton ($15.14M).

The latter has indicated he isn’t going anywhere, though it would be hard to blame him if he changed his mind now. The former though, would immediately become a trade candidate. Joe Ryan, who the Twins nearly traded at the deadline, would join him as well.

Related: What to Make of the Craziest Trade Deadline in Minnesota Twins History

Because of the Pohlad’s unstable finances and failed business acumen, the franchise has absorbed $425 million in debt. Likely from other business ventures, they have passed the buck to the roster, and effectively the fans.

It can always get worse, and with this family in charge, no one wants to see the answer to the question of ‘how bad.’

Originally, there was hope that billionaire Justin Ishbia would step up and buy the team, but he decided to stick with the AL Central team he already had an interest in, the White Sox.

Since Ishbia dropped out of the running, all has mostly been quiet on the sales front, outside a couple interested visitors who have reportedly toured Target Field in recent months.

Minnesota Twins back sale on the right track?

Thankfully though, as we inch closer to the one-year mark since the sale of the Twins was announced, it sounds like things might finally be moving in the right direction.

This weekend, Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press is reporting that the Pohlads “have a deal on the table” and that the MLB is even guaranteeing their $400 million in debt that they want included in the final purchase price.

“Industry sources say the Twins, who began exploring a sale last October and have sought $1.7 billion for the team, have a deal on the table and that bidding to line up financing is underway. Meanwhile, Major League Baseball is expected to guarantee the Twins’ debt, reportedly more than $400 million. After seeing financial books, some potential buyers backed off due to the team’s lack of cash flow.”

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

A lack of cash flow is likely a reflection of the uncertain future for the broadcast market. It also doesn’t help that attendance has seen a significant decline and that current ownership failed to invest in a team that had just experience more postseason success than any other time in the last three decades.

The Pohlad’s believe their asset is worth $1.7 billion while Forbes says it’s closer to $1.5 billion. The Tampa Bay Rays are also exploring a sale, and despite a cheaper Forbes valuation ($1.25B), the Rays already have offers for $1.7 billion, a number that undoubtedly got Twins owners excited.

Twins sale still far from finish line

There are complicating factors for a potential sale, however. Walters writes that the new tax bill signed this week only allows for 50% of a franchise sale to be amortized over a 15-year period. Previously, they were about to write off and make payments on all of it.

“For the last 21 years, buyers of professional sports franchises have been able to write off 100 percent of the cost amortized over a 15-year-period. With Congress’ passing of the mega tax bill last week in Washington, only 50 percent now can be written off. That potentially could affect the price of future franchise sales, including the Twins.”

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

With less than a month until the trade deadline, Minnesota Twins fans have to hold out hope that this sale will be done soon enough for new owners to take over baseball operations, prior to the start of next season.

Related: Rocco Baldelli Gives MN Twins Another Managerial Milestone

Derek Falvey was recently promoted with Jeremy Zoll taking over his job. The front office picked up Rocco Baldelli’s 2026 option. Despite his recent 500th managerial win, it’s possible a new group will want to bring in their own people.

Billionaire Justin Ishbia originally showed interest in purchasing the club, before opting to pursue a larger ownership share with the Chicago White Sox, a team he already owned a minority stock in, instead of swapping AL Central allegiances.

Pohlad family reject market value offers for Minnesota Twins

There has always been a level of skepticism as to whether or not the Pohlad’s would sell the MN Twins at all, especially given their above market value asking price, which is reportedly in the $1.7-$1.8 billion range.

According to a new report out of The Athletic, the Minnesota Twins owners have rejected multiple offers at or around what Forbes deems market value, which is $1.5 billion. With no offers coming in near their asking price, though, the Pohlads won’t even open negotiations.

Last Wednesday, the firm leading the sale process requested groups submit proposals with intent of interest, with multiple parties clearing that bar, those sources said. The Twins, in talks with one interested group, deemed a $1.5 billion valuation a non-starter.

Dan Hayes – The Athletic

By downright rejecting $1.5 billion offers, the Pohlad family is making it clear to interested parties that they are in no hurry to sell the team, if they aren’t going to get the price they want. The Baltimore Orioles were sold one year ago for $1.725 billion. Darren Wolfson (KSTP) has made it clear for months that the Pohlads are looking for at least that.

At the time of their sale, Forbes valued the Orioles at $1.73 billion, or 18th in baseball. Minnesota was valued at $1.46 billion in those same valuations, which checks in at 21st in the league. Did Forbes get it wrong? Did the Twins appreciate another $300 million in the last year or two… after a teardown of payroll? The Pohlads seem to think so.

The Athletic is reporting the Minnesota Twins have accrued $425 million in debt, “which is one of the highest figures among MLB’s 30 teams.” Effectively, the Pohlad family is looking for a new owner to foot the bill. They’d also like to come out looking rosy when dividing the payment among interested parties.

Pohlads in no hurry…

The key definition of a potential Minnesota Twins sale this offseason was that they were “exploring” the possibility of a sale. If they didn’t like what that exploration led them to, then there was never a guarantee that the franchise would be turned over.

“The Pohlads are not under pressure to sell. They are going to be deliberate about it. They really value the process and they want the process to play out in the fullest.”

The Athletic

There are plenty of involved parties amongst the Pohlad family, as a whole. Joe took over for uncle Jim as the executive chair of the organization. The payday will involve multiple people that don’t care about baseball, or the team, at all. The goal for those parties is the bottom dollar, period.

Related: Two New Guys Make MN Twins Opening Day Roster

It’s clear that any new ownership party won’t be identified by Opening Day. A transition plan before the trade deadline would give the Minnesota Twins hope of some spending, assuming it would be greenlit by new ownership. But at this point, that’s probably out the window as well.