MINNEAPOLIS— The Pohlad family announced Thursday that it will explore “a sale” of the Minnesota Twins.
Carl Pohlad bought the team in 1984 and the family has owned the team ever since.
“For the past four decades, the Minnesota Twins have been part of the heart and soul of our family,” chairman Joe Pohlad said in a statement. “However, after months of consideration, our family made a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins. As we enter the next phase of this process, the time is right to make this decision public.”
Joe Pohlad added that the family’s goal is to “find an ownership group that we can all be proud of that will take care of the Minnesota Twins.”
The Twins finished just above .500 this season and missed the playoffs after taking significant pay cuts last season. The team parted ways with general manager Thad Levine after the season, but announced manager Rocco Baldelli returns next year.
Before the Pohlads, the Twins were owned by Calvin Griffith and his family. Griffith moved the franchise from Washington to the Twin Cities in 1960. In the 1980s, Griffith threatened to move the team to Florida, prompting the purchase of Carl Pohlad to keep the Twins in Minnesota.
The Pohlads’ announcement comes months after Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor has refrained from selling these franchises to a group led by baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and e-commerce billionaire Marc Lore. Taylor claimed the group missed its funding deadline, while the other party disputes his claim. The two parties go to arbitration to settle the disagreement.
Read the full statement on Joe Pohlad’s proposed Twins sale below:
“For the past four decades, the Minnesota Twins have been part of the heart and soul of our family. This team is woven into the fabric of our lives and the Twins community has become an extension of our family. The staff, the players and Most importantly, you, the fans – everyone who is part of this incredible organization – are a part of it. We have never taken the privilege of being stewards of this franchise lightly.
“However, after months of consideration, our family made a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins. As we enter the next phase of this process, the time is right to make this decision public.
“We truly respect and cherish what the Twins mean to Minneapolis, St. Paul, the great state of Minnesota and this entire region. Our goal is to be as informative as possible for the team, the staff and you, the fans. deserve that, because in many ways this team does not belong to one family – it belongs to all of you. Our goal is to find an ownership group that we can all be proud of and that will care for the Minnesota twins family.
“After four decades of dedication, passion and countless memories, we look to the future with care and intention – for our family, the Twins organization and this community we love so much.”
This is a development story. Stay with WCCO for more information.
