Last year, a whole new generation of fans discovered their passion for the Minnesota Twins. They are also exposed to the frustration of seeing ownership pinch pennies and be content with the most basic degree of achievement.
Twins supporters had to go through that in the early 2000s, when they were more proud of how little money was spent than how many games they won. Minnesota consistently made the playoffs, but were routinely eliminated by teams prepared to make significant squad additions.
History appears to be repeating itself, as the Twins pursued their most successful season since the early 2000s by lowering payroll and refusing to invest money to build out the roster. The only moves made involved players exiting stage left, from Sonny Grey and Kenta Maeda to Jorge Polanco.
Fans have always been annoyed by the Pohlad family’s extreme frugalness, and it was never more evident than this winter. To their credit, the Pohlads don’t try to hide the fact that they want to thrive on the lowest possible payroll.
Twins owners affirm they will not spend money to win the World Series.
Joe Pohlad was on WCCO Radio this week and reaffirmed that Minnesota’s goal is to win as many games as possible while spending the least amount of money. He cited the Orioles and Rays as examples of criteria the Twins adhere to.
“I think in today’s game you can see there are a number of different ways to win,” he remarked. “You can see that both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles have lesser payrolls, producing highly successful goods on the field while still investing in other parts of the company. That is what we are doing. But, without a doubt, the television scenario is affecting our business, but we’re simply attempting to right-size it. That also factors into it.”
If you’re keeping track, that’s three mentions of ‘business’ while explaining why the team is once again cutting costs at a time when others are capitalizing on momentum.
Pohlad attempted to lessen the impact by stating that the team may spend if the circumstances are perfect, but another deal like Carlos Correa’s is out of the question.
“What I will say about some flexibility is, when Derek [Falvey] and his team think there is the right opportunity in front of us, we don’t live hard and fast by a specific number,” Pohlad went on to remark. “That said, we’re not going to spend $30 million on a player right now.”
Pohlad’s explanation is annoying, funny, and not surprising. Twins supporters have been down this path before, and it’s evident that the franchise is primarily considered as a corporate entity.
Nothing made this clearer than the team’s new TV deal for this season, which prioritized money before fans. The Pohlads had the opportunity to make watching sports more available — something Dave St. Peter claimed was a goal — but chose a deal that limited viewing options. To the surprise of no one, the deal was worth more money, and none of it was reinvested in the squad.
Accepting a lower offer for more money might have been acceptable if it meant investing in the team. Instead, with that deal and these words, a new generation of Pohlad ownership is informing a new generation of Twins fans that they value their bank account more than their trophy cabinet.
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