I still don't believe it

 The Pohlads continue to cry poor as their ownership of the Twins nears it's conclusion. As we all know, the Pohlads are extremely wealthy, but they treat the Twins as a revenue source instead of a baseball team, and are guided by that philosophy. The small market, smallish stadium Twins are low on revenue compared to other teams, which, for a revenue minded group, might as well label the team as poor. 

But the Pohlads are selling, and will be flush with cash as soon as the team is off their hands. Everything is a business for that family, and right now, the product most on our minds is the team itself, and not how it produces on the field. There was a statement early in the offseason that the payroll would stay about the same as it was in 2024. Through arbitration and contractual acceleration, the payroll was already over what it was last year, and the interpretation was that the Twins would be cutting some players off the roster, looking for takers for Chris Paddack, Willi Castro and/or Cristian Vazquez. 

That was before news of the team being for sale, with an initial valuation suspected to be at about 1.7 billion dollars. I've already speculated that a potential buyer might not appreciate the team getting rid of players before the team was sold, and frankly, the thought of that might give the Pohlads pause before going through with such trades. They would certainly sacrifice an extra $15m if it meant securing the $1.7b sale. You would pay $15 if it meant getting $1,700, right?

But I've made that case already, and I want to make a different one. If the Twins were really looking to offload one of the contracts I mentioned, other squads would be clamoring for the affordable prices, given the large contracts being awarded this offseason. 7 million for a #5 starter? That's less than Patrick Sandoval is getting from the Red Sox, and Paddack has historically been better than Sandoval. If there was a deal to be made, and the Twins were ready to deal, I'm sure an offer is already out there. 

I think the reality of the situation is that even if the Twins were able to jettison some contracts, there isn't a good way to affordably backfill those spots. Trading away larger contracts is even more problematic, both for the baseball minds, but also the business minds hoping the Twins remain attractive. I think it's less likely today that the Twins are going to scale back their payroll this offseason than it was at the beginning of the offseason.

None of this means, of course, that the Twins are going to be expanding the payroll. Oh no, no, no. While the Pohlads are still controlling the purse strings, it's unlikely that the organization will have any interest in substantial payroll additions, even if they might be warranted, particularly with a right handed bat, or a steady first baseman. Instead, look for more nibbles at minor league free agents, like Mike Ford, who was signed earlier this week, and my end up playing some first for the Twins. 

It's not exciting, but it's also a bit less depressing. I just don't see the Twins doing much of anything for the rest of the winter.