As Pohlad family explores sale, it’s ‘business as usual’ for Twins front office

SAN ANTONIO – As Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations, and five more front-office staffers arrived at Major League Baseball’s annual General Managers Meetings on Monday, the primary objectives for the week haven’t changed despite the Pohlad family exploring a sale of the team.

“It is pretty much business as usual for me,” Falvey said. “My job is to continue to try to build the team the best we can, make decisions that are hopefully in both the short-term and long-term interests of the team. Ultimately, if we have to make decisions that are more long-term, I bring those to Joe [Pohlad] just like I would have before.”

The Twins are expected to maintain their payroll at a similar level as last season, a source told the Minnesota Star Tribune. Their player payroll sat at about $130 million during 2024, about a $35 million cut from the previous season. The Twins, after losing six players to free agency, enter this offseason with an estimated payroll of $130 million because more than a dozen players are due raises through salary arbitration and contract extensions.

The limited financial flexibility at the current payroll means the Twins are likelier to look for trades than plugging the roster through free agency.

“While we’re aware of [the sale], certainly, and there will be a process to this, as it stands right now, my job is still to run it the way I always have,” said Falvey, who didn’t have any further updates on the sale. “There is so much work before the sale process happens in terms of legal documents, due diligence on [legal] contracts.”

Sports ownership sales typically last more than six months, so it’s unlikely the Twins have a new owner before the start of the 2025 season.

“I think it’s a loss for the game,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said on SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Sports Radio channel last week. “The Pohlad family have been great stewards in Minnesota. They put a competitive product on the field, and they got a great new stadium. They really have been an important part of the game for a really long time.

“I do think generationally passing baseball teams down is harder today than it used to be, just because of the value of the assets. I think the family came to a decision that it was best for them. They’ll be missed.”