Wasted energy

 I'm sure it's a function of living within the local media market, and being an obsessive follower of Twins fan sites and social media accounts, but it sure seems like the Twins ownership, the Pohlad family, gets a lot more heat than other ownership groups. I'm not here to carry water for the family, if that's what it seems like I'm doing, but rather I'm here to give context to this season's payroll reduction, TV situation, and suggest that even if the Pohlad's sold the team, I'm not sure it would get that much better.

This offseason was marked by television negotiations. The team was expected to find a new streaming friendly deal that would keep the team on the air throughout the 5 state area. In the end, they were only able to get a 1 year deal for an undisclosed amount less than they had made under their previous contract. The Twins took the deal with their previous carrier, the now bankrupt Diamond Sports, which meant no streaming, and fans were upset about the cash grab. 

But if this was a cash grab, that implies that this deal, the one that brought the Twins less (I would guess about 30m less per year) than they had in 2023, for only one year, was the best deal on the table. Last year, I didn't hear about any other options, and there is no buzz about the potential of another deal this offseason, either. 

The argument about the Pohlads is that they are extremely wealthy, and yet they are short changing the Twins. At this point, the Twins are a generational asset for the Pohlads, and not one wealthy person's flight of fancy. Financial decisions to some degree are not fully siloed within the Twins organization, and also, the wins and losses of the team aren't necessarily as important to all the decision makers as the bottom line. 

A case has been made in recent years, certainly, to make the Twins more marketable, and there was an increase in payroll, but it didn't work. There is no lucrative TV deal. The Twins won in the playoffs for the first time, and admittedly in part because of the terrible PR and bad vibes, attendance is down, despite wins being up. No TV, decreased attendance.... The Pohlads may never spend on players again.

But there is value in scarcity. The Pohlads will see the Twins value increase, because there are only 30 teams in the league. There will be a chance that a passionate Twins fan will be interested in the team some day, but they will have to pay through the nose for the team. I wonder who that could be, if such a person even exists. 

If the Pohlads sell, it would likely be to an investment minded person or organization. The Pohlads at least have ties to Minnesota, and despite the tight purse strings, are not as miserly as Contraction Carl. Does the next investor in the team look at the history, the difficult media partnership possibilities an declining attendance in the face of an improving roster and feel any additional desire to augment the team? 

The Pohlads are entitled to do what with their money they please, and you are allowed to feel how you want. Just understand that the days of the free spending Pohlads are probably over, and there is no guarantee that they are ever going away.