Pohlad family announces plans to sell Minnesota Twins
MINNEAPOLIS — The Pohlad family announced Thursday it will "explore a sale" of the Minnesota Twins.
Carl Pohlad bought the team in 1984 and the family has owned it ever since.
"For the past 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been part of our family's heart and soul," Executive Chair Joe Pohlad said in a statement. "However, after months of thoughtful consideration, our family reached 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 it's the family's goal to "find an ownership group who all of us can be proud of and who will take care of the Minnesota Twins."
The Twins finished just above .500 this season and missed the playoffs after significant payroll cuts last offseason. The team parted ways with general manager Thad Levine after the season, but announced manager Rocco Baldelli will return 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 Carl Pohlad's purchase to keep the Twins in Minnesota.
The Pohlads' announcement comes months after Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor reneged on a sale of those franchises to a group headed by baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and e-commerce billionaire Marc Lore. Taylor alleged the group failed to meet a funding deadline, while the other side disputes his claim. The two sides are headed to arbitration to settle the disagreement.
Read the full statement on the intended Twins sale from Joe Pohlad below:
"For the past 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been part of our family's heart and soul. 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 makes up this unbelievable organization – is part of that. We've never taken lightly the privilege of being stewards of this franchise.
"However, after months of thoughtful consideration, our family reached 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 with the team, staff, and you, the fans. You deserve that, because in so many ways, this team doesn't belong to any one family – it belongs to all of you. It's our objective to find an ownership group who all of us can be proud of and who will take care of the Minnesota Twins.
"After four decades of commitment, passion, and countless memories, we are looking toward the future with care and intention – for our family, the Twins organization, and this community we love so much."
This is a developing story. Stay with WCCO for more information.