It has been two months since the Pohlad family announced that they wanted to sell the twins, and a prominent person who could be a buyer has been identified. According to Bloomberg’s Isis Almeida, Miranda Davis, and Randall Williams, a group led by billionaire Justin Ishbia has expressed interest in buying the business, and Ishbia has been “meeting with local community leaders across the country to learn more about the community and the opportunity.” . continuing the legacy of the twins.”
The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Dan Hayes, and Dennis Lin have more details, specifying that both Justin and Matt Ishbia will be involved in the ownership group, with Justin serving as the lead investor. The brothers already own the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, with Matt serving as the governor of those franchises and Justin as the governor. In much the same way that Matt Ishbia was considered the main “owner” of the Suns and Mercury, Justin Ishbia would play a similar role in overseeing the Twins, with his brother in second place. Justin Ishbia’s sports interests also include a minority ownership stake in Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC franchise.
There is no sense that Ishbia or any other potential bidders are close to completing the purchase, as Amick/Hayes/Lin write that the sale process will take at least six months. Minnesota’s president of baseball operations Derek Falvey told reporters at the Winter Meetings that the franchise is in the first phase of the information gathering process, and that the Twins still had to continue to identify or evaluate potential buyers.
Carl Pohlad purchased the Twins in 1984, the role of overseeing day-to-day ownership went to Carl’s son Jim Pohlad in 2009, then to Jim’s nephew Joe Pohlad in November 2022. Series titles (1987 and 1991) and 11 episode titles, but those high scores are also somewhat obscured by the relatively constant spending during the four decades of the Pohlads who was in charge. The Twins were considered for an MLB contract in 2001, and the opening of Target Field in 2010 temporarily boosted the team’s payroll.
Most recently, the team’s decision to cut payroll after a successful 2023 season (and the abrupt end of the Twins’ broadcast deal with Diamond Sports Group) left Minnesota fans upset, and those feelings were exacerbated when the cost of a late-season slump. Twins playground. MLB itself will be broadcasting the Twins through 2025, albeit with lower fees than the Diamond deal, and thus less money returning to the organization.
It’s too early to speculate whether Ishbias or any other owner will invest heavily in roster building. The pay structures of pro baseball and basketball are very different, of course, but for some reference, Amick/Hayes/Lee noted that Matt Ishbia almost became aggressive after buying the Suns. A few days after that trade became official in February 2023, Ishbia pushed his front office to publicize the trade of superstar Kevin Durant.
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