Pohlad family to explore selling Minnesota Twins after 40 years of ownership
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After 40 years of ownership, the Pohlad family has announced plans to explore selling the Minnesota Twins.
What we know
The Pohlad family has owned the Minnesota Twins since 1984. After decades of ownership, the family announced on Thursday morning they are planning to explore options for selling the baseball team.
Twins Executive Chair Joe Pohlad issued a statement on behalf of the family, saying:
"For the past 40 seasons, the Minnesota Twins have been part of our family’s heart and soul. This team is woven into the fabric of our lives, and the Twins community has become an extension of our family. The staff, the players, and most importantly, you, the fans – everyone who makes up this unbelievable organization – is part of that. We’ve never taken lightly the privilege of being stewards of this franchise.
Win Twins Minnie and Paul. (FOX 9)
"However, after months of thoughtful consideration, our family reached a decision this summer to explore selling the Twins. As we enter the next phase of this process, the time is right to make this decision public.
"We truly respect and cherish what the Twins mean to Minneapolis, St. Paul, the great state of Minnesota, and this entire region. Our goal is to be as informative as possible with the team, staff, and you, the fans. You deserve that, because in so many ways, this team doesn’t belong to any one family – it belongs to all of you. It’s our objective to find an ownership group who all of us can be proud of and who will take care of the Minnesota Twins.
"After four decades of commitment, passion, and countless memories, we are looking toward the future with care and intention – for our family, the Twins organization, and this community we love so much."
What we don’t know
Further details about the potential sale or any interested parties have not yet been released.
Banned fan responds
A fan who was banned from Target Field after displaying a "Defend the Po...hlads" sign and getting into a confrontation with security responded to the announcement.
"I got like four texts back-to-back-to-back from friends, ‘like you did it, you did it.' I’m like, 'What did I do?’" said Twins Fan Michael Bailey.
READ MORE: Twins fan banned from Target Field after ‘Defund the Pohlads’ protest
"I was shocked that it actually happened, and very happy that it is possibly happening. Just because they say they’re going to sell it doesn’t mean they actually are," said Bailey. "I’m not saying I had a part in this, but I think showing my sign on the jumbotron got it far and wide."
Bailey also shared his hopes for the future of the Twins.
"If the new owners, whoever they may be, keep the Twins here, and build them to where everyone thinks they can go, that’s what any Twins fan wants," said Bailey.