It's 'business as usual' for Twins this offseason amid ownership uncertainty

In other words, don't expect any increases to payroll.

Sep 15, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Pablo López (49) shakes hands with Minnesota Twins executive President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey during pre game before a game against the Cincinnati Reds to receive the Roberto Clemente finalist award at Target Field. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Looming over the Twins' offseason is the Pohlad family's decision to explore selling the team, which was announced last month. But even with some uncertainty over how long the current ownership group will remain in place, it'll be "pretty much business as usual" for president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, he told The Athletic's Dan Hayes at the GM's meetings in San Antonio this week.

“My job is to continue to try and build the team the best we can and make decisions that are hopefully in both the short-term and long-term interest of the team," Falvey said. "Ultimately, if we have to make decisions that are more long-term or short-term — bringing those to Joe (Pohlad), like I would have before, and I navigate with Joe and ultimately make those decisions."

That's a pretty standard answer, of course. What's more interesting from Hayes' story is what he's reporting from conversations with team sources, which is that the sale of the team is expected to take at least six months, if not longer, and that the the Twins' 2025 payroll is not going to increase from this season's range.

The Twins' payroll was around $130 million this past year, which was a big reduction from 2023's $160 million range. The Pohlads' decision to slash payroll after the team's most successful season in two decades was obviously — and understandably — a major point of contention from fans all year long. That's why the consensus reaction to the announcement of their plans to sell was one of excitement, because it opens the door to a possible acquisition from someone more serious about putting a consistent winning product on the field.

But that's apparently unlikely to happen before Opening Day and perhaps not until later in 2025, which means the Twins will be operating under the same financial constraints heading into next season. And that means they'll have to shed payroll — they're already near the $130 million mark between guaranteed contracts and projected arbitration numbers — if they're going to make any additions this offseason.