The Minnesota Twins could be sold to a new ownership group before Opening Day, according to The Athletic. Minnesota is slated to open the new season on March 27.
The Twins have been owned by the Pohlad family since 1984, when late patriarch Carl purchased the club from Calvin Griffith for $44 million. Forbes estimated last March that the Twins are now worth $1.46 billion.
"There's a lot of people within geographic striking distance, whether they're from the Twin Cities or not," a source told The Athletic. "It's a solid ballclub that frankly can be purchased at a price that is less than astronomical."
The Twins were announced as being for sale back in October, with rumors subsequently surfacing that highlighted Mat and Justin Ishbia -- the owners of the NBA's Phoenix Suns -- as one party worth monitoring during the process.
Presuming a deal comes together, the Twins would become the fourth Major League Baseball franchise sold since the start of 2019, joining the Baltimore Orioles ($1.725 billion), New York Mets ($2.475 billion), Kansas City Royals ($1 billion). Additionally, the owners of the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels have explored potential sales without actually crossing the finish line.
In recent years, the Twins have been one of the teams most impacted by the frayed state of local television broadcast deals. While the Twins have remained reliably decent (they've won at least 45% of their games in every season but one since 2016), the front office has been denied the financial capability to upgrade the club into a potential pennant winner.
