The Minnesota Twins are closing in on a partial sale that could reshape the franchise’s financial future - and potentially its long-term ownership picture. While the Pohlad family is staying in control, they’re bringing in new minority partners in a deal that not only injects serious cash into the organization but also helps dig the team out of a $500 million debt hole.
The numbers here are big. More than 20% of the franchise is being sold at a $1.75 billion valuation.
That’s a hefty endorsement of the Twins’ long-term value, even amid declining attendance and shrinking revenue streams. The deal, expected to be finalized this week, also requires the addition of three new seats to the team’s ownership advisory board - signaling that while the Pohlads are still steering the ship, they’re bringing in new voices to the room.
This move has been in motion since August, when the club first announced it was exploring a sale. At the time, the plan was to sell stakes to two limited partnerships, but as the process unfolded, more interested parties emerged.
That led to the formation of a third minority group, a development that required MLB approval and delayed the final deal. According to league sources, interest in buying into the Twins was stronger than expected once word got out.
“It’s a big series of checks,” said one person familiar with the transaction. “Once it was out that we were doing a minority sale, a number of people stepped forward.
Some of them have joined the party. If anything, it’s all been good news.”
The transaction was facilitated by Allen & Co., a New York investment bank that began working with the Pohlads in October 2024. Initially, the family was open to a full sale after four decades of ownership. But by this past summer, Executive Chair Joe Pohlad announced the team was no longer for sale and instead had accepted the best offer available - a partial sale that keeps the family in control.
The move has immediate implications. The cash infusion will wipe out a significant chunk of the team’s debt, which had ballooned over the last five seasons. According to multiple sources, the club’s financial challenges stemmed from a mix of pandemic-era losses, civic unrest in Minneapolis, and a post-2019 hangover that never quite lifted.
“They never got the boost out of (winning in 2019) because of COVID,” one source said. “That’s when the debt came on.
It never came off. Now, it’s going to come off.”
Back in 2020, the Twins were on track to draw over 2.3 million fans to Target Field. Then the pandemic hit, and the bottom fell out. While many teams cut costs, the Twins kept their full staff and continued to pay minor-league players - admirable moves, but ones that added to the financial strain.
Attendance never fully recovered. The team drew just 1.3 million in 2021, 1.8 million in 2022, and 1.97 million in 2023 - even after re-signing Carlos Correa to a six-year, $200 million deal and winning the AL Central.
Then came 2024: a $30 million payroll cut, fan frustration, and another dip in ticket sales. This past season, the Twins sold just 1.76 million tickets - the lowest non-COVID full-season figure since Target Field opened.
The team’s media revenue also took a hit. FanDuel Sports Network, which had been paying the Twins $60 million annually for broadcast rights, pulled back in 2024, offering reduced fees before ultimately dropping the team altogether. Now, the Twins are airing games on “Twins TV,” a new MLB-backed platform that pays out far less than the previous deal.
Still, despite the downward trends in revenue and attendance, the partial sale puts the franchise on much firmer financial ground. And with Correa traded this past summer and few long-term contracts on the books, the Twins have a leaner payroll and a reloaded farm system. After dealing 10 players at the trade deadline, the club’s prospect pool is now ranked second-best in the majors by MLB.com - a strong foundation for a rebuild or retool.
Looking ahead, the franchise could be in a much more attractive position by 2028. New national TV deals are expected in 2029, and any potential labor unrest from the 2026-27 collective bargaining talks will likely be resolved by then. That kind of stability, along with a cleaned-up balance sheet, could make the Twins a prime target if the Pohlads ever decide to explore a full sale again.
Interestingly, none of the new minority investors pushed for a path to control. That’s not typical in these kinds of deals, but it might say something about the long-term outlook. As one source put it: “Anyone who buys a sports team is doing it on what they think it will achieve in the future, not what it’s done in the past or what it’s doing today.”
For now, though, the Twins remain firmly in the hands of the Pohlad family. Joe Pohlad has said repeatedly that the family is committed to ownership, and several third-generation members have shown interest in staying involved.
In August, when asked about the possibility of selling after the next CBA is in place, Joe was clear: “We’re committed to owning this team. We’ve owned this franchise for 40 years.
It’s a really difficult thing to part with.”
The identities of all the new minority partners haven’t been made public. Sources say one group is made up of New York bankers, another is Minnesota-based, and the third is a consortium of smaller investors who had previously been circling the deal.
What’s clear is that the Pohlads are welcoming new voices into the room - not just for financial reasons, but for fresh ideas. One source close to the organization said the family is open to hearing new perspectives, even if they still hold the final decision-making power.
So while the Twins may not be changing hands entirely, they are changing shape. And after years of financial headwinds, this deal might just be the reset the franchise needed - not just to survive, but to build toward something bigger.