For the Minnesota Twins on-field product, no news is not good news. Cash-strapped by the Pohlad family’s self-imposed budget, the team awaits a savior owner with pockets deep enough to keep them competitive. While the waiting game continues, Minnesota’s management and players try to put the best face on this situation.
So they put on their smiling faces and best positive attitudes as they mingled with fans at this year’s Twins Fest. While some off-the-field news has been positive for Minnesota fans, the on-the-field product remains stagnant. Save for a trade rumor, minor league signings, and some hopeful discussion about prospects that will arrive in the next two years, it’s been very quiet on the player movement front.
Player News
Not much to report here. With an estimated payroll of $135 million for 2025 and three players, Carlos Correa, Pablo Lopez, and Byron Buxton eating up $75 million of that total, cap flexibility is in short supply. And with the Twins being unsuccessful in their attempt to offload the next tier of their highest-paid players, Christian Vazquez, Chris Paddock, and Willi Castro, the purse strings get pulled even tighter.
Talk has heated up recently about a Vazquez for Dylan Cease trade with the San Diego Padres. The Padres are trying to stay below the luxury tax, and Cease is apparently up for grabs. Also, they need catching help, and even Vazquez, with his sinking-hitting skills, would be an improvement over their present stock. And Cease is a quality starter with an expiring contract who would help the Twins immediately.
However, the pot would have to be sweetened significantly for the Padres to pull the trigger on this trade. And therein lies the difficulty with executing a trade like this. Do the Twins have enough capital to swing a trade like this without losing a top prospect or two? They have been burned before (Tyler Mahle trade) in a similar situation, making them cautious to move forward on such an opportunity.
Other than that, there have been a couple of minor-league deals that have stoked a modicum of interest. Minnesota traded minor league pitcher Jose Vasquez to the Los Angeles Dodgers for former top-catching prospect Diego Cartaya. Cartaya’s stock has fallen dramatically since 2023, but if the Twins could resurrect some of his potential, he might be an adequate replacement for Vazquez if he is indeed traded.
And the Twin signed left-handed reliever Anthony Misiewicz to a minor league contract. This below-the-radar acquisition of a journeyman pitcher is punctuated by the fact that the team is short on left-handed bullpen depth, and the addition of Misiswicz might help fill this gap.
Other than that, Twins fans can dream about the arrival of talented prospects outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, second baseman/outfielder Luke Keaschall, pitcher Marco Raya, and eventually top prospect outfielder Walter Jenkins. These players constitute hope for the future for Minnesota fans and management.
Ownership Update
Not much to report here. There have been some rumors that suggest that new team ownership could be in place by March. Don’t bet on it. An August landing is probably more realistic. And recent information still suggests that an ownership group led by businessman Justin Ishbia (part-owner Phoenix Suns and Chairman, United Wholesale Mortgage) is the frontrunner to purchase the Twins.
The interesting sidebar to this story is that Ishbia is interested in including some Minnesota sports figures in his ownership group. The names most prominently mentioned are former Viking Cris Carter, former Twins and hometown heroes Dave Winfield and Joe Mauer, and former Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett. In addition, it is almost certain that Justin’s brother, Suns majority owner Mat Ishbia, will be part of the ownership contingent. Stay tuned for more on this.
Twins TV Deal
And finally, some good news for Twins fans. The team has finally worked out all the details of their contract with Major League Baseball to televise Minnesota’s games in 2025. There will be 150 televised games on Twins.TV. And there will also be an in-market MLB.TV package that would allow fans to watch games from around the league, as well as Twins games. Twins.TV will also broadcast five of the team’s exhibition games for free so that fans can sample the new product.
Twins.TV will cost $99.99 for the entire season, or fans can purchase a monthly subscription for $19.99. There will also be special memberships that can reduce the cost of the package by 50%. Asked about access to Twins.TV, Twins president and CEO Dave St. Peter said,
“We have full confidence that they will deliver across all major distributors at a package and tier level comparable to what you’ll find for FanDuel Sports Network or Bally Sports North.”
The packages will go on sale starting Feb. 11.
