The Minnesota Twins have a spending problem, and it is impacting the club's attendance. Twins fans are growing more and more frustrated with the output that their favorite team is producing on the field, especially these last few seasons.
The spending has gone down. The winning has suffered greatly because of it, and now, it is a talking point for baseball insiders this offseason. What are the Twins going to do? Are they going to spend, or will they continue to plummet their budget as they turn into a laughing stock of the American League?
"I think they have to spend money if they want to sell tickets,"Bob Nightengale told A.J. Pierzynski on Foul Territory TV. "I think people are so disgusted there that the Pohlad family is still involved, that it's not going to get people back to the stadium."
Let's have a look at the Twins' spending over the last three seasons, per Spotrac.
- 2025 Twins total payroll: $129,650,732 (21st in MLB)
- 2024 Twins total payroll: $131,225,880 (19th in MLB)
- 2023 Twins total payroll: $156,104,540 (16th in MLB)
Now, let's have a look at the Twins' average attendance per home game since 2023.
- 2025 average attendance: 21,836 (24th in MLB)
- 2024 average attendance: 24,094 (23rd in MLB)
- 2023 average attendance: 24,372 (19th in MLB)
The numbers don't lie. As the Twins have spent less and less money over the last three seasons, the average fan attendance has gone down. Also, the Twins' win total has gone south, too during this span. Minnesota went from 87 wins in 2023, to 82 in 2024, to 70 last season.
The whole thing is a mess, and it's no wonder why fans aren't showing up as often as they used to. The product on the field isn't acceptable, and the front office isn't doing much to rectify that. Hopefully, the 2026 season will look different as the Twins have brought on a brand new coaching staff to try and revamp this club.
This is a great start, but we still don't know what is going to happen to some current players. Is Joe Ryan going to stay? The All-Star pitcher remaining with the Twins would be a major step in the right direction, as he could attract other free agents to sign with the team as they look to turn the page. Hopefully, the fans' displeasure towards the Twins will turn into a positive impact that leads to more money being spent on the team.