The Pohlads are probably the most unpopular owners in baseball at this point. The Athletic's Hope-O-Meter results all but confirmed that. Even Pittsburgh Pirates' owner Bob Nutting has recently shown fans he cares about his team more than the Pohlads have.
To the Pohlads' credit, having Tom overtake his younger brother Joe as the head of the organization was the right decision. And while Tom could do a better job of backing up his statements with actions, he is at least being more communicative with fans and the media than Joe was.
Tom Pohlad, who has assumed the role of head of business operations, spoke to reporters before the home opener on Friday, and he had some interesting comments. Declan Goff of the SKOR North Twins Show posted several of Pohlad's notable comments on X.
On the Athletic Hope-O-Meter ranking MN dead last: 1/2
— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) April 3, 2026
"Surprising? No. Jarring? I mean, nobody likes to read that kind of stuff, but I'm not surprised by it... Inside these walls, there's a palpable buzz in energy about what we're building."
On selling patience to fans:
— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) April 3, 2026
"It's nearly impossible to sell patience, given with where we're at, which is why what happens on the field is the only thing that's going to matter at the end of the day."
Other things of note: Tom has basically assumed the role of team president to better understand the business side and to give him context of what he'd want on an internal or external hire.
— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) April 3, 2026
Analyzing recent Tom Pohlad quotes amid growing frustration from Twins fans
Fans' discontent with the Pohlads aside, Tom's comment that having a winner on the field will drive more hope than marketing tactics is exactly what fans should want to hear from their favorite team's owner. But for Pohlad to say that with a lower payroll than last season, it makes it difficult for fans to be too happy with the comment. Sure, there are plenty of exciting prospects in the organization. But they should be in the majors now if those are the players Pohlad thinks will drive fan hope. If Pohlad believes the current product on the field will get fans excited, he's mistaken.
While Pohlad appears to be taking responsibility for fans' frustration, he needs to realize that being accountable isn't enough. He acknowledged that he isn't surprised by The Athletic's Hope-O-Meter results, yet he hasn't done anything to fix the fans' lack of hope other than say he wants the team to be competitive.
Pohlad mostly said the right things on Friday. But as many others and I have pointed out, saying the right things doesn't matter if actions don't back them up.
The one thing Pohlad probably shouldn't have said on Friday was that his family "has gone through the wringer for good reasons and bad reasons." Maybe some people take their dissatisfaction with the Pohlads too far- but it's difficult to feel sympathy toward a family that slashed the Twins' payroll significantly after the team won its first playoff series in 21 years. To say his family had gone through the wringer may be true. But as far as pleasing the fanbase goes, Pohlad probably should've kept that to himself. Still, Pohlad gets an "A" grade for his media session on Friday. Now he needs to show fans he means what he says.