🚨 TWINS UPDATE: Tom Pohlad believes there’s a path forward for the Twins. Whether that path aligns with the franchise’s competitive timeline is what will ultimately decide its fate.

MLB Is Reaching a Breaking Point — and the Minnesota Twins Are Caught in the Middle

Major League Baseball absorbed another brutal reality check over the weekend when Kyle Tucker agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. It wasn’t just another big signing. It felt like another reminder that the sport’s financial structure is spiraling further out of balance.

The Dodgers now spend money at a pace that would make the early-2000s New York Yankees look conservative. They are overwhelming favorites to win a third straight World Series, and they’re doing it by exploiting every advantage a cap-less system allows.

The New York Mets, not to be outdone, responded with a three-year, $126 million deal for Bo Bichette, reinforcing the same message: if you have money, you can dictate the sport.

For fans of small-market teams, this wasn’t exciting. It was exhausting.
And nowhere did it land harder than Target Field.

Twins Fans Feel More Disconnected Than Ever

Minnesota Twins fans are no strangers to financial restraint, but the past two years have pushed that patience to its limit. Since the end of the 2023 season, the team and ownership have treated fan optimism like a punching bag.

The idea of the Twins signing a player like Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette feels laughable. Even keeping their own stars hasn’t been a priority — Carlos Correa was moved at the earliest convenient moment, signaling once again that commitment has limits.

Optimism is hard to come by, especially after the Pohlad family pulled the team off the market last August. For many fans, that decision cemented a bleak truth: this is the ownership group Minnesota is stuck with.

Tom Pohlad’s “Go Big or Go Home” Promise Rings Hollow

In December, Tom Pohlad assumed the role of Executive Chair and Control Person, replacing Joe Pohlad. His arrival was met with skepticism, especially after declaring himself a “go big or go home” owner.

Twins fans didn’t laugh — they rolled their eyes.

The winter that followed was defined by silence and caution, not bold action. If spending was meant to rebuild trust, the Twins chose the opposite approach. It now appears that “go big” wasn’t about now — or even soon.

To be clear, this isn’t a defense of the Pohlads. Just two years ago, the Twins had momentum:

Their first playoff win in nearly 20 years
A promising core featuring Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton
A fan base finally waking up

Instead of building on that energy, ownership pulled the plug. Payroll was cut. Players were frustrated. Fans felt abandoned.

That decision continues to define everything happening now.

Why Pohlad’s Comments Didn’t Win Fans Back

At last month’s press conference, Tom Pohlad acknowledged mistakes — including admitting the post-2023 payroll cut was an error. But he also made it clear that now is not the time to aggressively invest in the roster.

“I don’t think the landscape… that we should put a significant investment into the team of adding $50–60 million to the payroll.”

He spoke about alternatives — even a teardown — before emphasizing something else:

“We owe the fanbase something… And that something is hope.”

For many Twins fans, that word has lost meaning.

MLB’s Financial Landscape Is Fundamentally Broken

As frustrating as Pohlad’s comments sound, they exist within a larger, uglier MLB reality.

The Dodgers aren’t just spending more — they’re gaming the system. FanGraphs projects their 2026 payroll at $429 million, and that doesn’t include more than $1 billion in deferred money, headlined by $680 million owed to Shohei Ohtani.

A major reason they can do this stems from a 2011 bankruptcy settlement tied to former owner Frank McCourt, which limits how much Dodgers TV revenue is shared across MLB. The result is a financial monster few franchises can compete with.

The Mets can.
So can the Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, and a handful of others.

Some teams, like the Padres, tried to keep up — and are now $300 million in debt, with ownership exploring a sale.

Twins Are Trapped by Declining Revenue

Minnesota doesn’t have that luxury.

While exact figures from the Twins’ current MLB-run TV deal aren’t public, it’s widely believed to be lower than the $54.8 million they previously received from Bally/FanDuel Sports Network. That’s not unique — many teams have been burned by the RSN collapse — but it widens an already dangerous gap.

Less revenue means less spending.
Less spending means less competitiveness.
And the cycle feeds itself.

Why Another MLB Lockout Feels Inevitable

The uncertainty surrounding media revenue is one reason another lockout feels unavoidable.

The debate over a salary cap is explosive:

Owners in big markets don’t want restrictions
Players don’t want limits while $700M contracts exist

But if MLB stumbles into a lockout in 2027, or worse, loses games entirely, teams like the Twins will suffer another devastating revenue hit.

That’s not an excuse — but it is reality.

What This Means for the Twins on the Field

No Twins fan cares about ownership’s balance sheet. Decades of thrift have exhausted sympathy. But context matters.

Minnesota can compete in an AL Central where most teams are also tightening spending. But leapfrogging contenders feels unlikely with:

A question mark at first base
Uncertainty in the back end of the rotation
A thin, unreliable bullpen

Spring Training is barely a month away.

The futures of Pablo López and Joe Ryan loom large. If either is traded before the deadline, it won’t be viewed as strategy — it will be seen as surrender.

A Franchise in Waiting Mode — Again

So far, the Twins have signed just two MLB free agents this winter — Josh Bell and Victor Caratini — for a total of $14 million. The bullpen resembles something out of Major League.

It raises an uncomfortable possibility:
the Twins may be waiting out baseball itself.

If MLB locks out in 2027, teams will need fans more than ever. Minnesota might be banking on spending later, when the rules are clearer and trust must be rebuilt.

Given the Pohlads’ history, trusting that plan is difficult.

MLB Has Gone Off the Rails

This mess wasn’t created overnight.

It’s the result of:

Frugal ownership groups
A commissioner chasing non-issues
A system that rewards exploitation over competition

The Dodgers’ latest signing isn’t just another headline. It feels like a tipping point — a sport drifting further from balance, identity, and credibility.

And teams like the Twins are left asking the same question their fans are:

How are we supposed to compete in this version of baseball?

Right now, there’s no good answer.