No, The Twins Shouldn’t Be Patient [OPINION]
If you say you saw this 2019 Twins season coming, then you, my friend, are a liar. The Twins have elevated themselves from a disappointing 78-84 season in 2018 to the best team (in terms of record) in all of baseball in 2019.
Two weeks ago, the Twins could have acquired a future Hall of Fame closer in Craig Kimbrel in exchange for money, no prospects needed.
However, as has been the case throughout the entirety of Twins franchise history, the Pohlad family could not part with their precious money in exchange for the services of a player who could help the team win now. Reports have the Twins offering one less season than the Cubs' three-year deal worth about $43 million.
The Twins let Kimbrel walk over a difference of $15 million or so dollars. Adding the prorated portion of that contract to this year's payroll would've put Minnesota at about $132 million, still below the MLB average of $135,529,745 per Spotrac.
That's right, the same owner who inherited the team from his late father, Carl, continues to try to penny-pinch his way to a division title as opposed to going all-in for once in our lives to try to actually win a World Series title.
Carl Pohlad bought the team for $44 million in 1984, then passed away in 2009, leaving the team to his son Jim. The Twins are now worth $1.2 billion (with a B) dollars, meaning whenever the Pohlads decide to cash out (please let it be soon), they will be well taken care of.
The way to make money as the owner of a professional sports team is not to scrape a few million in profit on a year-to-year basis, but rather to increase the overall value of your asset, through winning and subsequent fan loyalty, until you sell the team.
Putting a winning team on the field would actually increase revenue through traditional streams like tickets and merchandise, while also making your team more valuable the next time you re-up your television contract and sponsorship deals.
Longtime Twins fans lived through the dismal 1992-2000 stretch while hearing constantly that the public needed to fund a new ballpark for the Pohlads. Then, Target Field was built and we were made to suffer through 2011-2018.
Now that the Twins are in pole position for the first time since 2010, it's time to show the fans that you appreciate their loyalty by truly making an effort to win the whole damn thing, not just a division title.